Here We Meet Again
by Stargategeek
Summary: Vienna, 1952. Helen Magnus finds herself looped into a wild ride by her troublesome obnoxious and ever flirty vampire who has managed to get himself into trouble...even after death.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_**~~~~Vienna, 1952~~~~**_

It was a time of unveiling.

She had gone to them all, a simple bystander in the back of the room as the crowd stood around the covered monument, murmuring amongst themselves.

"How did he die?"

"Some say it was a heart attack."

"He was murdered by KGB."

"Nazi spies."

"He poisoned himself."

"It was starvation, did you not see how frail he was?"

"It was his genius that killed him!"

"It was insanity. The man was old and senile and never ate meat!"

"It was loneliness. All his friends had passed on and he had no one."

"It was heartbreak. I heard his secret lover for many years had passed away and he couldn't live without her so his heart gave out so he could join her in the afterlife."

Helen listened to all these stories, all these theories; the tragic and comedic; the horrendously false and the oddly true.

It had been almost ten years since the death of Nikola Tesla.

He had been found in his room at the Hotel New Yorker, dead from an apparent heart attack. A rather bland death for such a remarkable man, but it was the best she could do given the circumstances.

Only then had the world recognized what fools they'd been. Now they erected monuments, statues, plaques, reminders that he had lived and that he had tried.

Only Helen and a select few knew the truth. She'd been to every unveiling, from funeral to auction, reclaiming stolen or lost property, bribing officials and lying to family members.

For life to go on Nikola had to die. For the war to go on, Nikola Tesla had to die.

It was a cool day in late June. The last few days of spring as the world decided to melt into summer. The group of onlookers, reporters, supporters, and bystanders stood outside the doors of the Technical Museum, a veritable plethora of whirring, ticking, and steaming machinery and the strange people who had invented them.

Words were spoken, some clapping, more gossip amongst the audience of this mysterious man who they had all come for.

Then it was unveiled; a perfect bronze bust, a complete likeness of her old friend. More applause.

Helen sighed. She really should stop going to these things. They were insufferable. The hypocrisy, the detestation, the fake admiration; these people bored her with all their idiotic notions over the scientist and his work.

She was fed up with it all, but this time it was different, she was here for a reason. She was asked to be here.

Where the bloody hell was he?

She scanned the crowd once more, being careful not to draw too much attention to herself.

Her eyes fell back to the bronze bust at the front of the courtyard. In a moment she felt the presence of another walk up beside her. Out of the corner of her eye she could just see the edge of his beige suit, the rim of his brown fedora, and a subtle glint of the rose colored glasses covering his grey-blue eyes.

"Quite the likeness, is it not?" said the stranger.

She did not make eye contact, but kept her gaze focused on the bronze face across the court.

"Yes, quite," she agreed, nodding her head slightly.

"Quite the enigma," continued the strange man. "I mean the man."

"Why did it take you so long?" she said quietly, so as not to disturb the fellow members in the audience.

"It's not easy traveling these days," said the man, his voice at the same level as hers.

The two remained fixed to the front. To any other person they would look like they were watching the ceremony.

"You got my message," he said to her, slipping a scrap of paper into her hand.

"Well, I'm here, aren't I?" she tightly held on to the note.

"I did state that it was urgent," he added.

"I know that's why I came. Now tell me what is so urgent you had to come out of hiding?" she asked the strange man and she could hear him chuckle dryly.

"Not here, we're being watched," he whispered into her ear. "I'll come find you then I promise all will be revealed."

Before she could turn her head to look at him he was gone, as if carried away by the wind.

She unfolded the note in her hand. It read simply: "Two men in black by the tree."

Helen casually let her gaze crawl to what the note mentioned, taking a quick glance before faking a sneeze and covering her face with her gloved hand.

Seeing her confirmation was enough to convince her to leave the heavily crowded court and head down the street, walking briskly, hoping her mysterious contact wasn't far off.

She could sense she was being followed and pretended to window shop casually as the small, little family-owned boutiques and pastry shops scattered along the streets of Vienna's Penzing district.

They continued to follow her at a distance, as she stopped and pretended to adjust her hat while eyeing them in the side mirror of a red Ford convertible parked on the street,

Helen wiped off some imaginary dust from her blue skirt before walking on. She was starting to get worried, as her companion was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Ma'am, could you come with us please?" asked one of the strange men who had been following her.

"What?" she decided to play dumb. "Who are you?"

She turned around to face them.

"What do you want from me?" she asked them innocently.

"That man you were with at the museum, where is he?" asked the other strange man.

"I don't know, he just came up and began talking to me."

"What did he talk about?" the man kept pushing.

"Tedious stuff. The weather, how he enjoyed springtime in Vienna; he admired the statue, asked me if I was single, then left," she said as cluelessly as she could manage. "I don't know him, nor am I likely to, I'm just waiting for my husband to finish his business here so I can go home."

"He gave you something, what did he give you?" the man continued to push.

"He asked for my number, think he had a liking for me but I did not give it to him. I promise, he is a stranger to me," she looked at him fearfully and they looked at each other.

"If you see this man again, call this number ma'am," they handed her a card with a telephone number on it.

"Why? Who is this man?"

"Possibly the most dangerous threat this world has to offer."

With that, the men left heading across the street to continue their search.

Helen exhaled with a huff as soon as they were far enough away, tucking the card into her clutch.

She turned and began to walk again, glad to have the hounds off her tail, but before she could get very far she was tugged into the alleyway, a hand smothering her cry of surprise.

"Shhh," she recognized the voice.

He released her mouth and she turned out of his arms to glare at her companion.

"Nikola Tesla," she admonished him. "My god, who have you upset now?" she fumed at him.

"They came after me! I was minding my own business, just like you asked and then they showed up, asking questions, breaking into my home and rifling through my files," he sighed.

"What have you done this time?" she growled.

"Nothing, I-"

"What have you done?" she reiterated more sternly.

"I swear Helen, I don't know," he said honestly and she sighed.

"Oh Nikola, even in death you manage to get yourself into trouble."

Nikola chuckled and gestured dramatically with his hand down the alleyway.

"Welcome to Vienna, meine Liebe," he gave her a wide and familiar smirk and took her hand, leading her further down the alleyway.

Helen sighed. Actually killing him would've been much simpler.

_**~~~~Author's Notes~~~~**_

My take on Vienna in Springtime. It's already pretty adventurous :) Nikola, Helen, somebody following them, danger, intrigue...some surprises along the way...i think you'll have fun :P


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Nikola led Helen through the winding paths and back alleys in the residential area of the Penzing district.

They reached a locked gate and Nikola pulled out a key from his breast pocket and unlocking it with ease, opening the tall wooden fence leading to a small backyard.

Helen glared at him, unimpressed.

"Who'd you steal that from?" she teased.

"I borrowed it, for real this time," he said with a smirk. "One of the locals around my current hideout rents a place out here during the summer, she was glad to give me the key for a weekend getaway."

"She?" Helen scoffed at him.

"Yes, a wonderful 82 year-old woman named Gertie. Quite attractive when she was younger but now she is just a charmer with a good wine cellar who's in need of some company," he explained, locking the gate behind them as they entered into the yard and through to the back of the house.

"I see," Helen muttered.

Nikola opened the back door and entered into the house. It was clean, and relatively well furnished. Nikola removed his hat and rose-tinted spectacles and placing them on the small table in the hall.

Nikola had the curtains drawn on all the windows, and hadn't been here long as far as she could tell.

"Would you like some tea?" he offered casually.

"Alright, time for explanations, Nikola. Who is chasing after you and why?" she crossed her arms sternly, ignoring his attempt to deflect the situation.

"I swear Helen, they found me. I was just living my new tiny insignificant life until three weeks ago these chumps show up and begin hounding my every move. At first I think, naturally, it's government. Not ours as we all know I helped stop the war," Helen rolled her eyes at his arrogance.

"Less ego more fact, please," she said with a huff.

"Well, it wracked my brain about which government could've possibly found me, my death was rather convincing…thank you for that by the way," he grinned at her but she did not return it. "Then it hit me, they weren't after Nikola Tesla at all. To them, Nikola Tesla is dead, just like he is to the rest of the world. They were after me, my new identity."

"What did you do?" Helen's glare intensified.

"I may have…published a few scientific papers on some abstract theories about electricity and it's effects on the body via certain specific area stimulation…via electric shock paper," Nikola said uneasily.

"So?" Helen coaxed him further with a steady eye.

"So, I may have mentioned that through the application of radio waves set at a certain frequency someone could possibly…affect a…brain aneurism in another person from a fair distance away without ever having to touch a body."

Helen groaned. Of course, now it made sense. They thought he was a maniac with plans to make the whole world's brain explode.

"Nikola!" she admonished. "This is your death ray weapon all over again!"

"Hey! I apologized for that…and I prefer Peace Ray, that was it's original intention," she smacked his chest with frustration. "Ow!"

"You stupid, stupid bastard!" she kept hitting him.

"It was just a theory, I never had any intention of going through with it…it was a hypothetical!" he cried as she hit him again.

"Well, you're hypothetical almost got me arrested by those goons! Thank you very much!" she hit him again.

"Stop hitting me!" he whined.

"Stop being so bloody stupid and maybe I won't have to," she growled. She should've taken him up on his offer of tea.

"I'm sorry, I had no idea that meager little paper would cause this, that's why I sent you that note! I need your help," he grasped her hands before she could hit him again.

"Give me one good reason," she growled.

"Because you love me," he grinned and she rolled her eyes at him. "Or because if you don't it could be exposed that I'm not actually dead."

Helen let out an exasperated sigh and yanked her hands out of his grip, hitting his arm one last time before relaxing.

"Fine, I'll help you, but this is the last time, I mean it!" she scowled.

"Aww, I knew you loved me," he grinned and attempted to hug her but she smacked his chest to keep him at bay.

"Oh no! You are not forgiven yet!" she let out a growl and he backed off.

He raised his hands defensively and moved farther away from her.

"It will take someone with your cunning and beautiful intellect to help with this. These guys are good…and I took the long route here," he sighed. "All my contacts have nothing on them, except that they're not government, because government would not waste their time with one silly little paper about a theory unless they had any real reason to believe the author would be radical enough to go through with it."

"And you wouldn't?" Helen crossed her arms.

"To the world I'm just a simple statistician and high school science teacher, thanks for that by the way," he scowled at her.

Helen smirked slightly.

"Now I have to cater to twenty-five spoiled brats for a bare minimum of four years while they zone out and stick gum underneath their desks," he glared at her further.

"Would you prefer to spend it in a high security prison?" she teased.

He scowled even more at her.

"Very funny," he muttered.

"Look on the bright side, the young impressionable girls are bound to get teacher crushes on you, you'll be their favorite teacher ever," she continued.

"Yah, like I haven't noticed all the dreamy sighs when I turn to write something on the chalkboard," he rolled his eyes. "I hate fan girls."

He unbuttoned his jacket and placed a hand on his hip.

Helen had to admit; with the way he dressed he was impeccably handsome, especially to young, emerging, adolescent teenage girls. Nikola was tall, slender, well-built due to his daily exercise routine, tailored, suave and very intelligent. As a high school teacher he was probably attracting more than just his female students.

"This was part of the deal, Nikola. Eisenhower gave you your freedom in exchange for your help and for a temporary change in career. Once your term is up then you can return to the shadows and continue your work full time, she moved up to him, standing mere inches away from him.

"Seems like that time may be cut down," Nikola shrugged. "They tried to get me during one of my classes, I had to give them their assignments quickly before cracking open a window and escaping around the back."

Helen softened slightly, knowing that for all his bluster he would never put his students, or anyone else for that matter, in danger; just her.

"You seriously don't know anything on these men?" she asked one last time.

"Only that they see me as a threat and they're well funded," he stated simply.

"Nikola, I think I will take you up on your offer of a cup of team. I'm going to need some to help you with this," she took a seat at the table and began to rub her temples.

"On it. Oh, and by the way, I have taken the liberty of having your things sent from the hotel to here, so, in case you're worried…"

Helen groaned again.

"I am not sharing a bed with you so you can just forget it," she sternly.

"Well, I knew that! Don't worry, there's a guest room upstairs, it's all yours," he bowed in a very condescending manner.

"Charmed I'm sure," she rolled her eyes at him.

"This will make it easier on you, Helen, this house is the only place they haven't been able to track me to…you used an alias right?"

Helen nodded.

"I did exactly like you told me over the autotype. I am Helena Heathering; my husband's name is Basil Rothford Heathering, an English businessman down in Austria on a business deal. I have references, phone numbers, and legal documents, including a phony marriage certificate, birth certificate, for both of us, and a driver's license. Does that comply with your wishes, O Lord Anal?"

"Hey, I am only anal for your safety," he said defensively. He went into the small kitchen and threw an iron kettle onto the stove.

Helen took the small reprieve to admire her surroundings. It was a very homey and neatly decorated, a tad dusty but Nikola would make quick work of that she was sure. There were some old family photos arranged on the wall, she could only assume they were people once very dear to this Gertie, who had seemed to take in Tesla in as a surrogate grandson, not knowing how old he actually was. Niokla probably enjoyed talking to someone who had lived in the same time he did. Helen understood that; they had all lived far past their normal lifetimes. James with assistance as his body wouldn't accept her blood to extend his life. John had stolen enough of it to keep him alive. Nigel refused to take anymore once he got married to Jeannette, relenting immortality to grow old with her. Then there was Nikola, the never-aging troublemaker, frozen in permanent immaturity, turning her world and everyone in it topsy-turvy chasing some unattainable dream. Lord knows what it was she highly doubted he even knew.

Helen heard him fiddle with something in the kitchen before dropping it on the floor and cursing in his native language. Nikola knew several languages quite fluently, and used them all whenever he saw fit. Helen was rather amused that he used his Serbian tongue, most of the time, for cursing.

He swore again and she pressed her lips together to muffle he chuckle as she forced back the grin threatening to break across her face. She wanted him to feel truly sorry before she gave him the benefit of seeing her smile.

Nikola came out of the kitchen holding a tea tray, gently placing it on the table/

"Tea for the beautiful lady," he said and charming as he could and she fixed him with a pointed scowl.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, you're still in a lot of trouble," she marched up to the table and sat down brusquely.

"Yes, but come on Helen, it did make you feel a little better," he smiled one of his boyish grins at her and she rolled her eyes.

"You're not as cute as you think you are," she gave him the cold-shoulder as she began to fix her tea as she liked it.

"Can't blame a guy for trying," Nikola shrugged, he went to the small liquor cabinet in the living room and pulled out a wine bottle. The resounding pop caught Helen off-guard, causing her to spill slightly. She put her cup down and glared at him as he poured himself a glass.

"Really Nikola? Can't you have tea like a normal person?" she huffed. He sauntered over to the table and sat down across from her.

"To each of us his own, Helen," he sighed, taking a generous sip from his wineglass. Afterwards, he put the glass down with a light plunk. "So, how've you been these last few years, it's been almost…well, how long has it been? Close to the end of the war right? You snuck me away to get me out of working for Eisenhower the rest of his miserable life."

Helen drank her tea stiffly.

"I remember," she said tightly. "It wasn't exactly as simple as that but, yes that was the last time we formally talked to each other."

"Have I thanked you for that by the way?" he looked over at her, his tone portraying more honesty than condescension.

"Yes, you have," she answered dismissively.

"Well, thank you again," he said casually. "Aside from this hiccup my life's been pretty good since. I mean, I live under a pseudo-name and teach bratty little adolescents the ABC's of Physics, take care of a little parakeet named Buttons…"

Helen gave him a strange look at the mention of the bird.

"It's the name he came with, I swear," Nikola raised his hands defensively. "But, anyways, my job gives me enough free time to work on my inventions, and other stuff, and there is a lake nearby so I can continue swimming every morning…it's a quiet life but a nice one, so thank you."

Helen let out a sigh and gave him a small smile in return for his honest words.

"Nikola, you don't have to make up to me, it's alright," she patted his hand. "I'm not incredibly mad at you."

He chuckled slightly.

"So you'll actually talk to me like an old friend sometime again?" he teased.

"Maybe," she teased back. "Just a little though."

A small grin broke out on his face making him look quite cute.

"You did miss me," he chuckled smugly and Helen rolled her eyes and went back to her tea.

"See? This is why it's easier to stay mad at you," she mumbled and he laughed taking another sip of his wine.

"Face it, Helen. You could never stay mad at me."

"Just give me one good reason."

**_~~~~Author's Notes~~~~_**

Hello my wonderful little Teslenites! (Name in progress).

A new chappie! Fun for everyone! Some explanation, some banter, a little flirtyness, it's all good.

I know some have already mentioned, I don't know my German, and i also barely know my way around Austria. What i know is what i get from wikipedia. If you have some deeply routed concerns for the future of this fic, please do not hesitate to leave me a private message detailing my catastrophic failure as a researcher. I would be greatly appreciated, but leave it out of the reviews so i can pretend i'm a greater writer than I am...i'm just kidding :P But no, anywhere from Austria does not have pastry shops, to girl you need to go over your spell check, i would love to know how i can make this fic a better reading experience for you: my audience!

And for those waiting patiently for the next installment of Troublemakers, it's coming, and hopefully soon.

For this even more patiently waiting for any instalment on the Life-Long Series, well, you'll have to wait longer...i'm a bit stuck i'm afraid on how to end it properly...i hope to have some sort of brainstorm...eventually...no promises.

Anyways! Enjoy! Like I am enjoying my reading break!...which hasn't been that enjoyable so far because i caught the flu...i'm better now, but that put a damper on my vacation. But enjoy anyways! Because it's Teslen...it's an enjoyable thing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The cigar smoke billowed around his head, seeping into his tailored suit, and the fabric of his hat that was shielding his eyes from the noonday sun. His hands were tucked around his hips, fingering the chain on his pocket watch.

He exudes the power he has in everything, in stance, in nature, in dress; that wherever he went people moved out of his way and averted their gaze, despite his younger age. He was not old, nor was he a kid, but he seemed too young to command such fear in people twice his age.

He looked official, scientific, political, military, government, influential, mafia, medical, learned yet physical. The cigar added wisdom, the suit added wealth, the goons added leadership, yet the subtlety of it all made him seem no important than a lawyer or a doctor.

He leaned against his black automobile, flipping open his pocket watch to check the time again, before situating it back in his vest pocket and taking out the stub of tobacco from his mouth a dropping it on the ground, crushing it under the heel of his expensive black shoes.

"Doctor!" cried one man dressed in a black suit, followed by two others dressed similarly.

"Ah," his voice was a smooth baritone. "What is the news, Warnsworth?" he looked up at his henchmen with a dark steel gaze.

"No sign of the schoolteacher yet, we lost him at the museum and the woman he had conversed with was just a decoy," said the man referred to as Warnsworth.

"The professor is quite clever isn't her?" he chuckled, pushing himself off the side of the car. "Just goes to prove that our little genius is more than he claims to be."

Warnsworth nodded.

"Did you have the woman checked?" he asked sharply.

"She told us about her husband, a business man from England, and some other stuff. I didn't think it relevant…"

"We are after one of the possibly greatest and most dangerous minds since Tesla, and you didn't think it was relevant?" he smacked the smaller man upside the head. "When it comes to the balance of the world everything is relevant! I want that schoolteacher and his ideas. Don't ever underestimate him, and don't treat anything he does lightly. If you see that woman again bring her to me, and make sure, for certain, that she is who she claims to be before you let her go!"

Warnsworth nodded emphatically to the Doctor's words.

"We won't let him out of Vienna, I'll see to that."

Warnsworth moved to leave.

"Oh, and Warnsworth," said the Doctor, before pulling out a gun and shooting the henchman beside him, just inches away in fact. "Disappoint me again and my aim will be far more accurate, understand?"

Warnsworth nodded once again, nervously, before turning on his heel and attempting to make a somewhat calm getaway before he saw the bitter end of a bullet himself.

The Doctor tucked the weapon back in his shoulder holster and lit a fresh cigar.

"Clean him up before someone sees," he ordered. His men went to it without question or delay.

_**~~~~Meanwhile~~~~**_

Helen held Nikola's paper in her hands, reading it quietly as he fiddled about with a cloth as she suspected he would, to clean up all the dust in the house.

She finished reading the last sentence and put it down, taking a long exasperated sigh.

"Nikola, what would possess you to write such a thing," she asked.

"I don't know, I was bored?" he shrugged.

"Really? That's hardly an excuse," she crossed her arms.

"I may have been trying to…impress someone," he averted his gaze and continued cleaning absently.

"Who?" Helen watched him carefully.

"Ms. Angela Pettiford, the English teacher," he looked up and smiled sheepishly.

"A woman?" Helen glared at him.

"A very tasteful woman who happens to think I'm charming," he said indignantly.

"You are unbelievable!" Helen cried.

"Is it so horrible to want to have some intelligent and pleasant company when stuck in Nowheresville, Indiana? Plus…she was hot, you can't blame me," he crossed his arms stubbornly.

"I can so! You blew your cover, put yourself and me in danger, all to garner the affections of an English teacher? Couldn't you have bought her flowers? Or written her a nice little poem, I bet she would've loved grading you on that!"

"I wanted to impress her, not join her class," Nikola grumbled.

"Well was I worth it big man on campus?" she stood up and glared at him.

"I'll have you know that she was very close to going out with me," he said defiantly.

Helen scoffed.

"Yes, if those goons hadn't arrived when they did I'd have probably been spending the evening with her, instead of catching a train, then a flight to several locations before finally ending up here with you scolding me! Believe me, I would've preferred that!"

"You are so single-minded sometimes, Nikola!" she growled.

"So what? I'm a base man with base desires, is that so wrong?"

"It is when you go and do idiotic things like this and put yourself, and others, in danger, all for the affections of a woman that you could've gained without going to such idiotic extremes!" she crossed over to him, her hands on her hips.

"Is it idiotic to want to impress someone with your natural talents," he shrugged.

"What? Like getting shot?"

"What?"

Helen pulled out her pistol and pointed it at his knee.

"Helen!"

BANG!

In the distance some birds flew out of the trees.

"Agh!" Nikola grasped his leg. "Why would you do that?" he cried.

"Oh, you'll heal!" she tucked her weapon back into her bodice.

"Doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt," he whimpered, limping over to a chair and proceeding to dig around the wound to pull out the bullet. "You are such a dirty fighter."

He tossed the bullet on the floor and groaned as his leg healed instantly.

"I hate it when you do that," he mumbled.

"But when has it never been uncalled for?" she teased.

"I'm sure once…maybe," he shrugged.

Helen laughed dryly.

"I'm sure," she sighed.

"Look Helen, I-" he was interrupted by a knock at the front door.

They shared a look before quietly moving towards it. Helen pulled out her gun again, carefully cocking it. Nikola moved towards the window and peered through the drapes, then relaxed.

"It's just the boy from the hotel with your luggage," she handed him the gun.

"Just to be safe," she said before unlocking the door.

He nodded and stayed back with the weapon ready.

"Good day, ma'am," said the heavily accented concierge, handing her a clipboard, confirming her name and items. She took out her room key and handed it to him.

"Thank you," she tipped him and he left.

"Have a nice day, ma'am," he handed her the two totes and suitcase that she had brought with her and then left just as quickly and efficiently as he came.

Helen's face was fixed in a frown though, and she began to search through the luggage.

"Something wrong?" Nikola asked as he shut and locked the door.

Helen groaned.

"Leave it to you to mess something up," she placed a hand on her forehead.

"What?" he said indignantly.

"I put some items in the hotel safe, I'll have to go back and reclaim them," she sighed, standing up.

"That's hardly my fault," he shrugged.

"I'll be back, you can move my stuff into my room if you'd be so kind," she sighed, grabbing her purse from off the table.

"You can't go out there, what if they're still searching for me," he grabbed ahold of her arm to keep her from escaping.

"Then better for me to go than you," she pulled out of his grip. "Nikola, this is important, I promise I wont be gone long…they don't know that I know you, so what reason do they have to be suspicious of me?"

He sighed.

"Fine, but don't expect me to come to your rescue when you are captured!"

"Thank you for the vote of confidence!" she waved condescendingly before heading out the back entrance to the alley.

Nikola placed his hands on his hips and scowled.

Screw it! If she wanted to get caught that was her prerogative, she was always stubborn. He wasn't her keeper.

He turned away from the door and then growled, turning back to it.

It better be the damn most important thing in the world!

He grabbed his hat and glasses from the table and marched out after her.

_**~~~~Author's Notes~~~~**_

_****_Yay! Fun!

Yes Nikola had to be shot, Helen so would you all know that.

The next few chappies are gonna be fun :P

I don't want to give anything away so...enjoy!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The Doctor sat in the front lobby of the hotel, a newspaper in his hands; he sifted through it absently, turning the pages every so often. The content of the paper wasn't exactly his main prerogative.

He tilted one corner to eye one of his henchmen who was precariously hanging near the entryway, another was smoking a cigarette out on the veranda, and another reading a pamphlet on Vienna's prime tours.

They all looked back at their boss subtly before turning back to their duties.

Suddenly, the one referred to as Warnsworth dashed in and over to him.

"She's coming!" he whispered into his ear.

"Good, get to your post," the Doctor ordered under his breath. The man nodded and dashed away. He returned to his paper.

Helen through the lobby doors of her hotel and up to the front desk, not stopping to take a moment's breath; she was going to be in and out before Nikola went and started a war over a tie pin, or something as equally pointless.

"Guten Tag, Fraulein," said the deskman with a welcoming smile.

"Oh, uh, Guten Tag," Helen continued to play the part of innocent housewife, especially when she saw all the familiar black suits hanging around in the lobby reflected in the glass of the hotel's key cabinet.

"Was kann ich heute für Sie tun?" he continued.

"I-I don't know what that means," she laughed slightly, and nervously.

"Oh, uh, what like me do for you?" he managed to say in English.

Luckily she had actually understood him the first time.

"Oh, my husband has put something in the hotel's safe…could I?" she handed him the little tab with the number on it. He took it and smiled.

Helen smiled back, really hating playing this particular persona, but it was easier to trick these guys with a picture of blue-eyed innocence then the Old Big-Guts McGlory she was more preferred to.

At least Nikola let her keep her weapon.

She leaned against the desk slightly and rapped her nails against the surface nervously, keeping an eye out on all the men in black around her.

One by the pamphlet stand, one by the entryway, one on the veranda, two in the dining hall, and one particularly nervous one sitting in the phone box. His head was turned, probably watching her through a mirror or through the glass reflection while pretending to call home to his mama.

A man in a grey, much more expensive suit stood up and all their gazes shifted to him.

Here was the ringleader.

She pretended to sneeze to steal another look at him. Tall, broad-shouldered, mid-late thirties, dark blonde hair; he was quite handsome actually, but powerful and rightly so.

He was approaching her, but when the other men saw fit to join he paused and raised his hand, signaling for them to continue as they were.

She was hardly dangerous.

Helen stood up straight and let out a sigh, giving him an opening as she turned and bumped into him.

"Oh! My goodness, sorry sir," she said apologetically.

He smiled kindly.

"Oh it's no problem at all, it was practically my fault," he shook it off.

He seemed quite nice, if she didn't know better she would've thought him as a homely businessman or lawyer with a wife and two kids and a golden retriever. But she highly doubted he had any of that.

"You're English! I mean you speak it," she cried jovially.

"You seem surprised," he chuckled.

"I've been down here for two weeks and the only other English speaking person I've seemed to come across is my husband. It's easy for him because he has a degree in linguistics, he minored in it in college when he got his Business Degree. I, unfortunately have a certificate from the School of Court Reporting," she chuckled airily.

"Oh, you're husband wouldn't be Basil Heathering…I've met him before in passing. You must be the lovely Helen he talks so much about," he offered her his hand.

"If that's true then you mustn't have seen him in a while, we barely see each other anymore. He dumps me in city after city like this, gives me a weekly allowance and then goes away and works for months at a time. I hardly know him anymore. He could be cheating and I wouldn't care, it would give me an excuse to get in a plane and return to Winchester," she sighed. "But still, quite the coincidence. You must be in business then."

He shook his head.

"Not quite, though your husband has helped my particular business on several occasions, especially during the war," he smiled knowingly.

"I see. May I ask what it is that you do?" she looked at him rather suspiciously.

"I work for the military, primarily the American Military. Mostly odd jobs, but the job I'm doing now is what has led me to you…would you join me in the lounge?" he asked.

Helen contemplated before nodding and accepting his arm.

"I have no idea what the American military would want with me," she giggled slightly as he led her to a table.

"Well, you see, this morning you had an encounter with a gentleman at the Technical Museum doing in the Penzing, right?" he asked her, his voice lowered slightly.

"Yes," she looked around her nervously. "Was that you – I mean your men who stopped me in the street?"

"Yes, and I want to apologize for their conduct, they were completely rude to you."

"I'll say. They told me that man could be the most dangerous man in the world, and he'd taken a liking to me. I thought all morning that he might kidnap me!" she cried.

"I assure you, my men only said that in the hopes that if you saw him again you would call us immediately, nut he is a harmless defector. He stole some secrets and plans to sell them to the highest bidder; he's a pencil pusher in the military offices. One of the servicemen punching codes on the enigma during the war."

Helen tried not to snigger at that. If only he knew.

"So what do you want from me?" she asked.

"Well, as you said, he's taken a liking to you," continued the man.

"You want me as bait? Oh no, no I couldn't! I'm not sure he does anymore. I think he used me to distract your men. He won't come for me, I'll just be another useless distraction."

"There's only one way to find out," shrugged the man. "Are you sure you told my guys everything?"

"Well, uh…"

"Tea, Fraulein?" said a strangely familiar voice. Helen looked up and was met with a friendly pair of grey-blue eyes.

Nikola had apparently stolen a uniform from the hotel laundry and found himself a rather convincing, if hideous, fake beard, making himself unrecognizable to the men in black, but she knew those eyes anywhere.

"Uh, yes please," she answered with a small smile.

"Make it two," added the man.

He nodded and curtly winked at her before walking away.

Helen turned back to the man and bit her lip in thought.

"Uh, he came up to me…wondered if I was single and if I enjoyed Vienna in Springtime…he mentioned something about the birds and their songs…"

"Birdsongs?" he interrupted.

Helen caught a look at the henchmen by the pamphlet stand and got an idea.

"Perhaps he meant the upcoming music festival, I thought of going…"

"Of course!" cried the man. "Oh you are a smart woman. He's hoping you'll meet him at the music festival, or otherwise meet you if you're there."

"But why me? Why not someone else?" she asked.

"The heart wants what the heart wants," he shrugged.

"But he's only talked to me the one time…I never…"

"What? What is it?"

"I've been here for two weeks. Around a week ago some strange things started to happen. I received flowers, chocolates, other small gifts, I thought they were from my husband but he never mentioned anything the few times we've talked since. Now I'm thinking this man of yours has had a liking for me a lot longer than I thought."

"You must've done something," he coaxed her on.

"The man!...At the party!...He spoke English…we danced, I told him how much I enjoy music and how lonely I felt in this country. It was nice to have some who'd listen…he must see me as some kind of damsel in distress," Helen fibbed, but if she was right this was just the set up she needed to get Nikola out of this mess.

The man smiled widely, buying into her ruse.

"He sees you as trapped as he is," he added. "Which is perfect because we can use that against him."

Nikola returned still playing the part of waiter to listen in on part of their conversation. Placing the tea down in front of them and bowing when dismissed. Helen watched him out of the corner of her eye as he exited the lounge, probably off to cause more trouble.

She turned back to the man.

"I don't know…it seems cruel to use his feelings in such a way," she fixed her tea as she spoke.

"Yes, but Helena, he's a traitor and a rather unstable one at that if you know what I mean. He could harm many people with the secrets he's planning to sell, you could be the leverage we nee. If it comes down to it I'll tell him I gave you no choice, then he won't feel so betrayed."

Helen sighed.

"Fine…fine I'll help," she bit her lip nervously.

The concierge entered with her items from the safe and handed them to her.

"Thank you," she paid him a tip and moved to stand up. "Excuse me Mr…uh?"

"Oh, call me Parsons," he stood up as she did.

"I have to go…my husband is moving me to a more permanent living situation. I have to meet the movers, excuse me," she said with a huff, showing she was not happy with that.

"Maybe we can meet tomorrow night and talk…about the mission over dinner," he took her hand and shook it before turning it palm up and kissing the top delicately. "I promise Helena, I won't let him harm a hair on your head."

Helen blushed shyly.

"I trust you, Mr. Parsons," she forced a flirty smile.

"Doctor," he corrected.

"Doctor?" she looked at him with a slight tilt of her head.

"It's purely title," he shrugged off.

"Well then, Doctor, I would very much enjoy your company tomorrow evening…say eight o'clock?"

"Sounds perfect," he released her hand and she smiled.

"It's a date then," she winked and left the lounge, passing a concierge on the way out who was headed in.

She made her way out of the hotel and got half a block away before a familiar presence beckoned her to stop.

He stood outside a small sweet shop, picking at a bag of candies while leaning against a lamppost.

"Been waiting long, Houdini?" she sighed heading over to him.

"I took a shortcut," he shrugged and offered her one of the confections in the bag; she accepted it. "Have a nice chat with our good looking friend?"

"Yes, he's quite charming," she looked around searching for any black suits.

"They're not watching, I left them a little clue with the concierge that will have them halfway across town by now. No one is watching us," he plucked another sweet from the bag. "Do you like licorice?"

Helen nodded and opened her mouth for him to plop the black candy in.

He chuckled and obliged her.

"I've always been a taffy man myself, that and chocolate," he took out another sweet and ate it. "Did you get your important items from the safe?"

Helen nodded and lifted up the leather case for him to see.

"I don't mean to be brash Nikola, but could we continue this in the alley," she still felt watched.

"Ooh, I like you're thinking Madame Heathering," he teased and she rolled her eyes.

"I would just rather not be seen in daylight with the man I'm apparently supposed to help catch. Despite you're assurances I don't think it's safe."

Nikola nodded.

"Hail a cab, if anything happens you can tell your new friend that I kept you company as you waited," he whispered to her. "I'll meet you back at the house, we can debrief then and discuss our next move."

"Sounds good, though I much rather prefer you with your briefs on," she teased.

He leaned in and, with a grin, plopped a chocolate in her mouth.

"That's what you think," he pecked her lips and darted away before she could hit him, ducking into the alley.

Helen growled.

He was insufferable.

_**~~~~Author's Notes~~~~**_

_****_For some reason i hear a cacophony of dreamy sighs. You're thinking about Niko and chocolate aren't you? *rolls eyes*

I hope you guys have fun with this chappie. Helen being all deceitful and schemey! Nikola being a master of disguise! Evil plots and of course, some tasty treats for all you to enjoy. :) I hope you like.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 **

Helen arrived through the back alley entrance to the house, locking the gate behind her.

She had gotten out of the cab several blocks away, hoping to have lost any stragglers along the way.

The moment she stepped into the house her nose was filled with the most delicious scent. Nikola was cooking…at last she hoped he was.

"Nikola?" she called out.

She noticed her luggage was still in the front hall where she left it. She frowned.

"Welcome back," he sauntered out of the kitchen, his sleeves rolled up and he was wearing an apron.

She turned to him and scowled.

"I give you one task to do and you can't even manage that," she glared at him.

"Hey, I made dinner," he shrugged.

"That's not what I asked, now go use that vampiric strength of yours and move my bags up to my room or I'm going back to the hotel, free meal or not," she ordered. "I'll keep an eye out on whatever's on the stove."

He whined and lumbered over to the bags.

"You try to do something nice…" he muttered.

"Try doing what you're told," she teased, pulling off her hat and gloves and entering the kitchen.

It smelt even better in there.

"What are you cooking?" she called to him through the door.

"Pasta," he called back.

"Really?" she lifted the lid in the sauce and inhaled.

"Don't touch anything! You're British instincts will be to bland everything!" he joked.

Helen put the lid back.

"Just asking," she scooched herself on to the countertop and noticed a little notebook lying next to the stove. Her curiosity overruled her and she picked it up, scrolling through its pages.

Nikola entered the kitchen a few minutes later.

"Hey, hey! Put that down!" he sprinted over and made a grab for the book.

"Whose is it?" she held the book out of his reach.

"The original recipes belonged to my mother, some are from people I've met in my travels, but most of them are sworn secrets, put it down!"

Helen giggled and handed him the book.

"Thank you," he snatched it back and tucked it in the pocket of his apron.

"Really, Nikola, your love for your mother is really quite adorable," she teased.

"Oh really, and what about you Daddy's princess?" he teased.

"It's completely different," she crossed her arms defiantly.

"Right, I have a book full of some of my mothers best recipes, while you carry an entire case full of his files and journals which you put in the hotels safe," he teased.

"You bastard, you peeked!" she looked at him in shock.

"You left it out in the open, just like I did my notebook, don't even pretend to take the high road on this one. We are both creatures of curiosity. We like to know things even when we're not supposed to," he leaned in a bit closer. "We get a certain thrill from it."

Helen knew he was not talking about the notebooks anymore.

"Your water's boiling," she said to him before he got any closer.

"What?"

"You're water's boiling," she reiterated, nodding her head towards the stove.

He snapped to the pot.

"Oh damn!" he quickly grabbed an oven mitt, while simultaneously turning off the heat. He grabbed the pot quickly and brought it over to the sink.

Helen laughed watching him scuttle about.

He managed only to spill a little on the floor. She hopped off the counter and decided to assist in the clean up.

"Nikola, why'd you go through all the trouble to make dinner?" she asked casually.

"I was bored waiting for you, and I thought you might be hungry, so…I haven't cooked in a long time, I quite enjoy it actually," he smiled at her softly. " Call it a thank you/apology type of thing. Since you're helping me the least I can do is make you a decent meal."

Helen nodded.

"So, what happened at the hotel?" He changed the subject. "Does Mr. Handsome think we're…?"

"He thinks I am who I claim to be," she took plates out of the cupboards as she talked. "I made him think you were some kind of head over heels romantic stalker."

"Oh, how lovely," he muttered.

"It was the only way I could justify him to use me as bait," she shrugged.

"Oh, so we're playing the working for the other guys gambit?" he finished draining the pasta."

"Wine?" Helen suggested.

"Perfect," he nodded, finding serving bowls for the pasta and sauce he he'd made. "So, I'm after you because…"

"I'm the damsel in distress of your dreams," Helen chuckled dryly. "We met a week ago at a party, you were the only English speaking attendee. We dance, I talked, and from that you made a connection. He surmised that you think I'm just as trapped as you are, a kindred spirit of sorts."

"Basic psychology," he shrugged in agreement, following her out to the table and placing the food items on its surface.

"From there you left me a clue in our little meeting yesterday to meet you at the music festival this Saturday so we can steal away together in the dark of the night," she continued as she went to fetch a bottle of red.

"That seems likely, you know how I adore adventure and forbidden love affairs," he chuckled with a slight leer.

"It may be our best way around it…I'll know more after my date with Dr. Parsons tomorrow," she poured both of them a glass of the wine and sat down at the table.

"So, that's what his name is," he smirked as he sat down. "You're really going to play up this ruse?" he asked, accepting his wine from her.

"I think it's our only chance to get this problem off your back without them finding you again," she sighed. "I mean, what ever they want you for they want it badly."

"So, what's the plan?" he looked at her honestly.

"Well, we either play into his game and you get captured, an we learn what this whole thing is about or…"

"Or?" he prodded her to continue.

"Or we steal away into the night," she finished.

He watched her carefully for a moment as she began to serve herself.

"You're really going on a date with him?" he asked eventually.

"Yes, it seems you're not the only one whose taken a liking to me," she shrugged.

"How do you intend to play it?" he asked.

"Well, Helena Heathering has been leading a rather boring life so far with a husband who's never around. This is the most exciting thing that's ever happened to her…and this Dr. Parsons is looking like her ticket out."

"So, you're going to play him like you're supposed to play me?" he grinned.

"Exactly," she grinned back.

"You evilly clever woman," he raised his glass to cheer her.

"I'm hoping I can convince him to trust me, maybe get him to tell me the extent of this operation. So far all he's told me is this delightful story about you being a deranged defector from the American Military with secrets you intend to sell to the enemy…a colorful tale but you are hardly military."

Nikola chuckled.

"It looks like I'm getting captured this Saturday," Nikola leaned back in his chair.

"That all depends on what they plan to do to you," she warned him cautiously.

"I'm sure you'll find out…once you cuddle up to the big guy," Nikola teased.

"I don't want to do too much cuddling. I'm hoping he's the sentimental type," Helen took a generous sip of wine.

"Helen, I won't let him near you like that, I promise," Nikola reached a hand over to her and brushed hers gently.

"It's funny, he said the same thing about you," Nikola retracted his hand. "Nikola…this…this meal is delicious, thank you," Helen switched the subject again.

"You like it? I stole it off of Gertie's fridge while she was darning my socks."

This caused Helen, inexplicably, to sputter with laughter.

_**~~~~Meanwhile~~~~**_

Dr. Parsons sat in the bare room of the hotel, his henchmen all around him. They were all doing something, they were on the phone with the officials, recording conversations, making plans, all while he sat in the large chair in the corner.

He was deep in thought.

"How much did he hear?" he asked out to the group.

"We don't know sir, we can only guess," answered one of them.

"How could you not have seen him?" cried Parsons.

"He must've been wearing a disguise, or come in through the service entrance, all we know is that he was there and he knew you were talking to the woman. He left that note for you in reception."

"It was a distraction, but a distraction from what?"

Suddenly, the one they called Warnsworth came in excitedly with a file folder of developed photos.

"Doctor! I know where he was!" he ran up to him and handed him the folder. "I decided to follow the woman, Helena, thinking she might lead me to him…and I was right. He was waiting for her two blocks away."

The Doctor sat up and examined the photos.

"It seems she stopped a moment to converse with him, he offered her a sweet, actually several. Then he kissed her and dashed off. He got to far away before I could catch up."

"Excellent work Warnsworth, these are perfect," grinned Parsons.

"So, do you think they're in on it together?" asked Warnsworth.

"No, Helena's a clever girl, she probably batted her eyelashes and told him what he wanted to hear. Buttering him up for their meeting at the music festival. Brilliant!" he smirked. "It also explain why he gave us that distraction, he wanted to talk to her alone."

"So what do we do, sir?" asked Warnsworth.

"We go on with the plan, you Warnsworth, I'm appointing you as Helena's keeper. Follow her movements from here on out," he ordered.

"But I don't know…"

"I know you don't know where she lives, that's fine, she's coming tomorrow evening to further discuss our plans, tail her then."

Warnsworth nodded.

"Yes sir."

"And Warnsworth, keep showing initiative like this and you might get promoted," he patted the man on the shoulder.

His face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Really?" he asked.

"Maybe, now return to your post."

Warnsworth nodded and rushed out with excitement.

The Doctor sighed and drank his brandy, staring at one of the photos. It was of them kissing. There was something odd about it. Of course it wasn't a deep kiss, just a simple peck on the lips, but he couldn't place it. It didn't seem right.

He put it back down and sighed. This schoolteacher kept getting more and more interesting.

_**~~~~Elsewhere~~~~**_

Helen was in her nightgown, brushing out her reddish-brown hair, it was starting to grow out more, though it wasn't quite the length it used to be. She both missed and loather her long blonde curls. Nikola had whimpered quite pathetically when she had cut it, he had always loved her blonde hair, but shortly after got used to the red, still saying he'd prefer as a brunette. Now that she looked at the fading color she happened to agree with him, brown hair would be much more suiting for her.

She sighed and put down the brush on the vanity.

She hated it when he was right.

Her mind was still on that moment when Nikola had pecked her lips on the street. They hadn't spoken about it all evening and she wondered why, she knew he was teasing her, it was just a kiss; ever since the early 1900's he'd been trying to steal kisses from her. It was a game. But this time she wondered if it was a game, part of the ruse, or was he being playful for a reason. Was he worried about her? He'd followed her to the hotel and had waited for her, and then when he had touched her hand during dinner.

It all brought back memories, memories of their long and complicated relationship with each other. It reminded her of Oxford, of their time on that blasted ship, of Egypt, all the times they were on the cusp of something but both backed away when it got too much.

But that didn't stop the memories. Her face felt flushed and she felt hot all of a sudden.

She stood up and went to the bathroom to pour herself a glass of water. She couldn't have been gone less than three minutes and when she returned he was there, lounging on her bed, as casual as ever, with that same smirk.

She nearly spilt water down the front of her.

"Gah! I hate it when you do that!" she growled.

"I just wanted to see how you liked the room," he eyed her in her nightgown and she glared at him.

"I'm sure," she put the cup down and wiped off the dribble that had splashed onto her chin. "I'm fine, get out now."

"Not yet," he sat up a bit. "I have just a few queries, then I'll be out of your hair."

"Can they wait till morning?" she groaned.

"Unfortunately not," he said without hesitation. "Now, first question, when is your date with Dr. Dangerhunk?"

"Dr. Parsons, his name is Dr. Parsons," she rolled her eyes. "And I'm to meet him at eight."

"Good. Where?" he continued, ignoring her looks of frustration.

"In the lounge at the hotel," she answered.

"What will you be wearing?"

"What does that have – Oh no! No, no no! You are not coming! You are staying here!" she waggled a finger.

"Helen, I don't trust these guys…I won't be at the table behind you in a fake beard, just close enough in case something goes wrong,"

"I don't want you screwing anything up, just stay here, I'll be fine," she groaned, wanting to throw her brush at him.

"I won't blow your precious cover story, but in case Dr. Evil-Blonde gets any ideas I want to be there, I don't trust him with your safety," he shrugged.

"Concerned for my safety, are you?" she teased sardonically.

"Somebody has to," he muttered.

Helen scoffed and walked up to him slowly.

"You wouldn't happen to be the teeniest, tiniest, littlest bit jealous would you?" she leaned over him, her hands coming to rest on the edge of the bed.

"Jealous of what?" he tried not to look at her chest which she was just pushing out ever so prominently.

"Dr. Parsons," she accentuated the P in the name. "Are you scared he might be more man than you are?"

Nikola's head snapped to her, his eyes meeting hers fiercely.

"Never!" he snarled. "I'm not jealous, I'm just making sure you don't sell me out, that's all."

Helen leaned lower.

"Liar," she accused. "You're jealous. Jealous he might get a kiss; jealous that he'll get to flirt and be flirted back to. Jealous that he might be able to make me drink one drink too much and then get to truly enjoy my company."

Cruelly she lifted a hand to caress his cheek gently. She pretended not to notice how his Adam's apple bobbed as she touched him.

"You, Nikola Tesla, are insanely jealous, and you want to be there to be able stop anything from happening to me because you certainly don't want it to be happening to him," she teased and leaned in further. "You're so cute when you're jealous."

Her voice was low and sultry, she could hear him try to suppress a groan. This was payback for all the times he had toyed with her in the exact same manner.

"What is it Nikola? Don't trust me to hold my liquor and just jump the first man I see? Maybe it will be that one man, sitting behind me…with the fake beard."

She dropped her hand from his cheek and leaned in so close that if she spoke too much, their lips would caress each other.

He was so distracted by how close she was he didn't see her hands fisting the quilt he was sitting on.

"Do you feel unappreciated Nikola? Would a kiss make it better?" she continued to tease him.

He refused to say anything but his eyes darted from her to her lips.

"A little payback from earlier, when you stole that kiss from me," she grinned slightly, watching his face go from aroused and flushed to pale and fearful, realizing she had trapped him.

Helen leaned that fraction closer.

"Get off my bed, Nikola," she whispered, their lips just brushing. Before he could comprehend she had forcefully yanked the quilt out from under him causing him to spin wildly and go flying off the other end of the bed, landing on the floor with a hard thump.

He groaned.

"Ow," he muttered, lifting himself off the bed.

She chuckled triumphantly.

"You are a cruel, cruel woman," he glared at her.

"And you're a bit of a creep, but you don't hear me complaining," she teased. "Now get out of my room or I'll shoot you again."

He stood up as she put the quilt back on the bed and crawled under it.

"You can't get rid of me that easily…I'll still be there, you won't know where, you won't even suspect, but I'll be there…to save you when you need me," he grinned widely. "Now that I know you want me."

He dashed out of the room before she could whip her gun out from under her pillow.

Helen managed to toss the pillow at him, hitting him in the butt on his way out.

"Cheeky bastard," she grumbled, forcing her smile down. She wanted to be annoyed, not amused.

She would just have to make the show extra good for him then.

_**~~~~Author's Notes~~~~**_

New chappies are fun aren't they?

My updates are probably going to become less and less frequent for the next few weeks. School is beyond insane, but i thought you might enjoy an update before things go cray-cray!

Here it is, some Teslen fun for all my little fic readers...i'm sorry if that sounds condescending...it's ok, you be my Fic Readers of Sheer Unenfetter'd AWESOMENESS!

Ok, so my naming skills are on par with Nikola's give me a break, I'M CRAZY!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Helen had spent the entire morning choosing what to wear for her date that evening. Outfits were crucial in this kind of operation. How revealing could you be, what will you cover, how much, how little, what color? Red equals passion, black equals mystery, blue equals neutral, and green is out of the question.

She chose a sleek black dress that fir her well enough to be considered appropriate but was just revealing enough to show the doctor she was at least slightly interested. She couldn't wear too much jewelry, and her shoes could not be too high.

Nikola had stared at her for the better part of an hour like she had gone crazy as she tried to explain to him the complexities of a woman's wardrobe.

But other than that he had been relatively quiet all morning, not being the casual insufferable flirt she was awaiting when she woke up that morning. She was half expecting him to be lying beside her watching her sleep, or at least to come sneaking in on her while she had her shower. But instead he had made French toast for her breakfast and had left it outside her door for her to consume at her leisure. She'd only seen him the once when he had stopped by her room to check on her progress and she stupidly asked his opinion on which pair of stocking to wear.

This side of Nikola always unnerved her. It meant he was up to something, she knew it, and it was something to do with her date. She knew she shouldn't have provoked him last night. She didn't need the nerves. He was going to be there, watching her, watching him, and she couldn't afford him to do something drastic or petty. She wished he'd just come in here and sneak up behind her and try to fondle her or something, that's what Nikola does, that's what she's use to. The quiet subdued Nikola was a truly dangerous presence in her books.

Every sound she heard had her jumping. All afternoon. She nearly ran out in search of every stray sound; Nikola popping open a bottle of wine, a door opening, a creak on the staircase. She heard him sneeze and nearly bolted and tackled him.

What was that bastard up to?

It was nearly time for her taxi to arrive. She was dressed, her hair was perfectly curled, she wore a simple chain around her neck and a small bracelet. She looked simple yet stunning, which was appropriate for the dinner she was about to go to.

She stepped out of her room hearing the taxi pull up.

Nikola was sitting in the living room by the door. He was dressed as he usually dressed, nothing strange, he was holding a glass of wine, nothing strange about that either.

He smiled at her softly.

"Aren't you the picture of elegance?" he said gently.

"Thank you," she looked at him suspiciously. His eyes wandered all over her.

"Yes, Dr. Parsons should be quite pleased," he nodded and stood up, walking up to her casually.

"I hope so…" she tried to remain cool.

"Be sure to tell him I said hi," he grinned, leaning over and pecking her cheek. "Have fun on your date."

He turned and returned to his seat and sipping his drink, then waving at her.

"I'm doing this for you just so you remember," she made a point of saying.

"And I am forever grateful to you, meine Leibe," he bowed his head to her in a toast and drank more wine heartily.

"Alright…goodbye," Helen cautiously walked out and got in the taxi. She kept an eye on the house even as the cab turned the corner and drove down the street.

Maybe he wasn't coming after all, maybe he decided he would stay home, maybe he was finishing another bottle of red and tinkering with one of the broken clocks in the house, maybe he was…who was she kidding, he was going to live up to his promise. He was going to be there, and he wasn't going to make himself known until he chose to.

She let out a huff.

Fine, if that's how he wanted to play it, she would play hardball. He was jealous and she was going to make him burn with that jealousy. Why? Because she bloody well could, and because he had burned her long enough. She was tired of being a little pawn in his game of life, she was going to mess with him for once.

Helen pain the driver before stepping out of the cab and into the hotel lobby. She recognized the black suits patrolling in their usual places. If Nikola was to come he better disguise himself well.

Dr. Parsons was already waiting for her. She was punctual as always.

"Helena, you look stunning," he said in admiration. He looked her over from head to toe.

"What? This old thing?" she blushed slightly. "You're too kind."

"I mean it, absolutely breathtaking," he was flirting with her right off the bat. This was going to make her job easy.

"Please, Doctor, I can't stand all this flattery, I just thought it would be appropriate to look nice."

"And all I'm saying is that you look more than nice, that's all," he smiled kindly at her. "Come on, I have dinner plans."

He took her arm and began to lead her outside of the hotel to his car.

"What is this?" she asked.

"A slight change in plans, but I have reason to believe it's not safe for us to talk here, I made reservations," he helped her into the car.

"What happened?" she asked. She was slightly nervous with the change, and hoped Nikola wasn't that far away now.

He didn't answer her question but got into the seat next to her as his driver began to pull away from the curb.

"You met with him didn't you?" he turned to her seriously.

He pulled out a folder of pictures. She knew it, Nikola was always so bloody careless.

"Yes, h-he was waiting for me. He had asked me about you…I mean, about why I was with you," she twiddled her thumbs nervously. "I didn't know what to do, so I decided to play along, tell him things he wanted to hear. He really does think him and I are in some kind of relationship…he acted all suspicious like I was cheating on him. I told him nothing, only that you had asked me some questions and that I had told you nothing about us. I thought it best not to tip him off until the festival…I wasn't sure you were around."

"You did the right thing, Helena, the exact thing that will solidify his presence at the festival on Saturday, I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he added affectionately.

"He was surprisingly sweet about it, he seems to really care about me…I don't feel right using him this way but I know it's for the best, it's just hard, I've never had to abuse someone's affections for me like this before."

He patted her hand.

"I'll be sure to let him down easy," he said reassuringly. "Did he hurt you at all?"

"No, no! I mean he kissed me, but I let him, it was just a brief kiss…"

"He didn't hurt you or touch you inappropriately?"

"No, he was a perfect gentleman despite being deranged," she shrugged.

"That's good," he smiled at her softly.

"May I ask, though, what's going to happen to him when he's captured? What are you going to do to him?"

"He'll be taken back to the states and court marshaled, and from there he will have a trial, and he might get off on a section 8, depends on the level of his insanity," Dr. Parsons reassured her.

"You won't hurt him though, will you?" she asked.

"Not unless we have to," he sighed.

"Alright then…I had to know, I couldn't live with myself if I delivered him into the hands of his executioners."

"No, he won't be killed, the worst is a fifteen year stay in prison, twenty if they decide to charge him for fleeing, and less if they declare him insane."

Helen nodded.

"Good…so, where are we going?"

"You'll see," he smirked and turned to face the window.

_**~~~~Later~~~~**_

The evening had gone by pleasantly. Dr. Parsons had taken Helen to a nice restaurant and they had chatted easily. He was very charming, despite how dangerous Helen suspected him to be.

She kept looking around, checking faces, trying to spot him. He was around, he had to be.

Parsons was regaling a story about his military experiences and she was listening to him blather the lies with complete attention. Having spent enough time with James, she had been taught how to read people's body language, to a certain extent. She could tell if they were lying or not, of course she could never tell with a certain vampire, he had this skill to pull the wool over her eyes despite how she tried, but she could tell Dr. Parsons was lying very carefully. He was a learned liar, someone taught to lie professionally. They didn't make the same mistakes as normal people do when they lie, and he laced enough truth in it for anyone to believe it was plausible.

If he wasn't military he definitely had been once.

Helen had spent enough time in the war services to recognize military training when she saw it. It moved a certain way, breathed a certain way, held itself up a certain way. Marine, air force, or army, it didn't matter. They all had some evidence left on them of where and how they trained.

From what she could tell Parsons was ex-marine, possibly stationed in Britain.

She continued to flirt with him, observing him the entire evening to understand him more. James would be proud.

"…and then we crawled about seven miles to get back to base," Parsons finished his story.

"Fascinating," Helen smiled widely. "You've certainly led an adventurous life, Dr. Parsons."

"I would've preferred it to be less so," he shrugged.

"May I ask where you earned your title of doctor, Dr?" she asked.

"I was originally a field medic for the war, but my position has since changed," he answered.

A nugget of truth amongst the lies, she noted.

"A Doctor turned bounty hunter, I'd say there was quite a change," she teased.

"Oh this, this is just a one time thing, I have a degree in psychology, the big military top guns figured I'd be the best suited to bring our defector home in one piece. We've suspected his mental instability for some time we just didn't know to what extent, now we do."

"Aside from creating a relationship with me in his head, he didn't seem all that dangerous," she said, taking a sip of her wine.

"In truth, he isn't. It's what he knows that has the potential to be dangerous, I would never put you in the line of fire if I believed he would hurt you," Parsons took her hand.

Helen forced a blush.

"You don't think I can defend myself, Dr. Parson?" she flirted with him shyly.

He chuckled and shook his head.

"I do have one request though, Doctor," she looked into his eyes.

"What is it?" he smiled softly.

"When you take him to wherever you take him to…I-I want you to…to take me as well," she averted her gaze to the floor.

"Pardon?" Parsons asked a little confused.

"I am miserable here, can't you tell? My husband and I have grown apart, he's hardly home and when he is I'm practically dead to him. He moves me around like a piece of luggage and abandons me for months at a time in these cities where I don't know the language, and he expects me just to live with it. I want out, Dr. Parsons. I want out of this loveless marriage, out of this country, and before this all happened I didn't think there was one until you came along," she grasped his hand tightly. "Please, Dr. Parsons, save me."

He chuckled slightly.

"If that's what you wish…"

"It is my only wish, I want to be taken somewhere where I have friend, where I understand people when they speak to me. I want to find a home, a permanent home that I can call mine. I want to be loved by a man full of adventure and romance who truly appreciates me," she focused the last part at him, watching his normally cool demeanor become only slightly flustered before reigning it all back in again.

"I will then, Helena, I'll take you wherever you need to go," he said calmly.

"You will? Oh thank you, thank you! If I didn't think my admirer was watching I'd kiss you, Dr. Parsons."

"You can call me Neil," he kept grasping her hand.

"Neil, what a charming name," she batted her eyelashes at him.

"So, are you clear on tomorrow's order of business?" he asked, switching the subject abruptly.

"Yes, and if I run into him again I'm to give him this note and leave," she held up the small scrap of paper.

"Excellent, one of my men will be following from now till then, just as a safety precaution, you'll hardly know he's there, but he'll be there to make sure he doesn't get any ideas beforehand," Parsons released her hand and leaned back in his chair.

"I trust you, Neil," she smiled.

Suddenly a young man, about nineteen came inside the room and rushed to their table.

"Are you Dr. Parsons?" asked the young man, his accent was very thick but his English was good.

"Yes, who are you?" asked Parsons.

"A man outside told me to tell you that there is a bomb in the vicinity, and if you don't release the girl he's going to set it off," whispered the man.

Parsons sprung up.

"It's him. Everybody needs to leave…their may be a bomb close by!" he shouted to the entire restaurant. The young man took the initiative to translate what Parsons was saying into German.

Everybody quickly dropped everything and got out of their seats, trying to get out of the restaurant as quickly and as smoothly as possible.

"You need to go, walk a few blocks, see if he'll follow you, then hail a cab and go home, my man will be behind you, don't worry," Parsons escorted her out but was blocked by an old man.

The old man uttered something in German, and Helen looked at him nervously.

"Neil!" she lost her grip on his arm and was starting to get pushed out of the restaurant by the crowd.

"Just go, it'll be fine!" he said then his attention to the old man. "Move sir, uh, bewegen, bewegen!"

Helen got outside and decided to follow her instructions, knowing without a doubt Nikola had caused all this.

Police cars came screeching up as she started casually walking down the street. Her tail behind her, not quite as hidden as promised but then again, she was looking for him.

After going about two blocks without seeing him she hailed a cab, just like she was told. She'd talk to him when she got home…oh no, he be at home…not knowing that she was being closely followed.

The master of disguise better think fast.

She got in the cab and instructed him to go the scenic route. Hopefully Nikola would get there before her.

_**~~~~Later~~~~**_

Helen walked through the front doors, glad to see all the curtains drawn up still.

"Nikola!" she whispered.

"That was quite fun, wouldn't you say?" he stepped out of the downstairs bathroom, and Helen rolled her eyes.

He had disguised himself, almost mistakenly as none other than the old man that had blocked Parsons way at the restaurant.

"You bastard!" she growled.

"Told you, you wouldn't recognize me," he chuckled.

"You bastard!" she growled again.

"Hey, I wasn't sitting behind you with a fake mustache," he raised his hands defensively.

"Why'd you do it? Why'd you have to end the evening so…so chaotically," she growled. "You jealous bastard!"

"I'm not jealous, I just though you may want to skip sleeping with him for tonight," he shrugged.

"That wasn't going to happen!" she cried.

"I don't know, he looked like he was getting ready to sweep you off your feet," he went back into the bathroom.

"Well thanks to you, I'm being tailed! Now, master of disguise! Why don't you go into your little kit and disguise yourself as Mr. Basil Heathering, so we can keep this ruse to save your ungrateful ass!"

He rolled his eyes.

"Fine, I'll get myself ready and you can draw the curtains, make sure he gets a good show of our failing marriage. What are you thinking, abusive or indifferent?"

"I was thinking more controlling," she took off her coat and earrings.

"Do I think you're cheating?" he asked.

"Oh most definitely, even though I've just been to a simple party…I might leave you after the fight."

"I might love you just enough to beg you to stay," he called from the bathroom.

"I might already be in love with another man," she called back.

"I might change my ways and take you back to England," he exited out of the bathroom with a new mustache, and enough changes to his physical appearance to disguise him.

Helen was upstairs changing out of her dress and into her bathrobe, She came out a moment later and descended the stairs to him.

"I might think you are sleeping with one of your partners wives!" she grinned at his disguise.

He went over to the window and pulled back the curtains.

"I might think you're crazy!" he spun to her.

"Well, you're never home, Basil, what am I supposed to think?" Helen switched the charade. She spotted her tail, she couldn't tell if he could hear them but she thought she might as well sell it just in case. Nikola picked up on her change and went with it.

"You could think a little more of me, Helena. I am doing this for you, for us!"

"All this traveling is for us?"

"I want to give you the life you deserve, is that so wrong?"

Nikola stepped up to her, moving his hand in specific hand gestures they had made up their travels. Communicating silently with each other.

"No, but you keep on uprooting me to a strange foreign town and then abandoning there. I'm sick of it!"

Helen gestured to him to come closer, he obliged without hesitation.

"I work 24/7 for you, we agreed we'd do this together so we wouldn't grow apart!"

"You haven't touched me in months, you barely look at me."

"You want me to touch you, I'll touch you! Is that what you want? Do you want me to make love to you on the dining room table to prove that I still love you?"

Helen signaled no.

Nikola smirked slightly.

"I'm not asking for extremes, Basil, I just want to go home, to our home; start a family, settle down. I don't need Buckingham Palace to do that."

"I can't just leave in the middle of my work. I have responsibilities and duties. Promise to keep."

"What about your promise to me?"

Helen signaled to Nikola for him to hit her. He gestured back no.

"I am your wife! I'm giving you a choice Basil!"

Helen gestured again for him to hit her. Nikola again said no.

"You either choose me or the job! You decide."

She gestured for him to hit her once more, saying it was important and Nikola relented.

"Helena."

"I will walk out those doors Basil, I swear!"

"You won't!"

"I will!"

"You won't!"

He backhanded her hard across the face. Then grabbed her fiercely pressing her to him and kissing her. He pulled back and leant near her ear.

"Abusive and controlling enough for you?" he whispered.

"The kiss was completely unnecessary," she whispered back to him.

"Just putting on a show for the camera monkey, hopefully it will put you in a more damsel in distress light for your little friend…Neil, was that his name?"

Helen pretended to fight against him.

"By what? Having Helena's husband abuse and sexually assault her," she whispered as he tore open her bathrobe. Luckily she had the presence of mind to put clothes on underneath. Nikola kindly enough grabbed for her waist, instead of her breasts, thighs or bum.

"Just enough until I can close the blind again," he kissed her gently.

"Hit me again," she ordered.

"Can I kiss you first?" he grinned.

"Can I scream?" she retaliated.

He nodded and grabbed her hair roughly, pulling her in for another harsh kiss. Helen screamed, he pulled back and walloped her across the cheek. She fell to the ground with a hard thump and held her hand to her face, faking tears. She could tell by his face that he didn't enjoy doing that.

He marched over to the window and drew the curtains. Once they were completely drawn he let out a deep breath and pulled the mustache of his face.

Helen wiped her eyes.

Nikola came over and kneeled in front of her. Examining the growing bruise on her cheek.

"Don't ever ask me to do that again," he pressed a soft kiss to her cheek and then handed her a handkerchief to wipe her eyes.

"I won't," she accepted the cloth and dabbed her eyes, wincing slightly.

"I'll get you some ice," he said softly.

He stood up and headed into the kitchen. Helen watched him leave, feeling slightly guilty for making him do that. She knew he was up for anything when it came to a ruse, but that was something she knew really cut him. Hitting her, abusing her in anyway, even a pretend assault, it irked him severely, but in this case it had to be done. This little act would hopefully be taken back to Parsons, and he would be even more determined to pull her into his trust, she was only sorry that it had to be Nikola.

Nikola returned with a small cloth bundle filled with ice. He sank to his knees and gently placed it against her cheek.

"This should help with the swelling," he said somberly.

"I'm sorry, Nikola, there was no other way," she took his hand. "It's ok, I've suffered worse."

"Don't tell me that" he stood up in a huff. "I know what you mean when you say that and I don't want to hear it. I don't want to think about what that glorified murdering nazi bastard has done to you in the past. God knows I had to live through some of it, I don't need to be reminded."

It was remarkable how he could see right through her.

"I won't do it again, Helen, don't ask me to, when I see you tomorrow at the festival I'm going to see it and I'm going to be enraged."

"As you should be…you're in love with me," she noticed him tense slightly.

"Helen, I…"

"It would only be natural for someone as delusional as we've made you out to be, to be outraged at someone hurting the one you've created this relationship with," he relaxed slightly.

"Right," he sighed.

"And hopefully it will also enrage Dr. Parsons enough to get me even closer to him…close enough to spill secrets," Helen got up off the floor and moved to the couch.

"I need a drink," Nikola groaned and went to find a wine bottle.

"I'll have one too," Helen chuckled.

"When this is over Helen, I won't…I mean, I promise…I'll go into hiding…real hiding…I won't do this ever again."

Helen smiled slightly.

"I'm glad to hear it," she chuckled.

He came back with a bottle and two glasses.

"It's all fun and games until…" he muttered.

"Just pour the damn wine," Helen rolled her eyes.

He smirked and obliged her.

He handed her a glass and then sat down beside her.

"We could always make love on the dining room table if that'll make you feel better," he teased and Helen rolled her eyes and smacked him.

He chuckled and rubbed his cheek.

"In fairness I did hit you twice, so you really should be hitting me again," he smirked and offered her his cheek.

"Well, I did shoot you earlier, so I think we're even," she patted his cheek.

He shrugged.

"Suits me."

"And now…all's left is tomorrow," Helen sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Yes there's that," he mumbled.

"I'm meeting Neil in the morning, he's probably going to make me wear a recording device so we'll have to feign it again," she sighed.

"Alright," he relaxed slightly and draped an arm around her.

"Then you'll be captured…make it convincing," she teased.

"Helen, when am I never anything but completely convincing," he stated smugly.

"Whenever you lie," she teased.

He frowned.

"Be safe," she leaned up and kissed his cheek.

"You as well," he looked at her.

"Yes, well, I'm headed off to bed then, tomorrow is going to be busy."

Nikola nodded and released her as she stood up.

"Sweet dreams."

"You too."

Nikola looked down at his glass and then chugged it all in one go.

Tomorrow was going to be fun.

_**~~~~Author's Notes~~~~**_

A new chappie! I hope you guys haven't been waiting too impatiently.

A fun chapter to be sure. I'll try to have another one for you...eventually. :P


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

It was a bright and early morning in Vienna.

Dr. Neil Parsons had already been awake several hours, enjoying his breakfast in the hotel lounge, checking every once in a while on his goons who patrolled their stations.

He was expecting Warnsworth soon with news about Helena; the simple yet captivating Helena Heathering. Parsons was not the type to become fixated on a woman so easily but there was something about her. She was bright, beautiful, brave and remarkably intelligent. A rare flower. He was more surprised that she didn't have a string of men following behind her with love in their heads and bottom lips dragging along the ground.

He wasn't in love, that would be ridiculous, but he was definitely intrigued.

Warnsworth came in and interrupted his thoughs.

"Sir," the man said nervously.

"Did you leave the message for her as I instructed?" Parsons asked.

"Yes, but it wasn't easy, her husband came home last night, and he…"

"Yes?" coaxed Parsons.

"Well, look sir," Warnsworth handed Parsons the developed photos.

The images he saw made his blood burn.

"What did he do to her?" Parsons growled.

"Roughed her up pretty good, I'll say. He closed the draped but from the way he was acting it wasn't good. I saw her this morning when I left her the message; he had left a bruise on her right cheek. I managed to give her the note quickly while he was in the washroom, she said she'd be there."

Parsons tossed the photo away from him.

"Why wouldn't she tell me?" he growled.

"Maybe she was embarrassed to admit her husband was treating her like this?" suggested Warnsworth.

"No wonder she wants to be rid of him," Parsons grumbled. "Get back to your post, make sure she gets here safely."

Warnsworth nodded and left.

Parsons growled, picking up the photos again. He shouldn't care this much, but she was an asset, she was his asset, and there was something odd about her husband. Though the photographs didn't picture him well, Parsons felt a sense of familiarity with his presence; there was something off about him.

He would ask Helena when she arrived.

_**~~~~Elsewhere~~~~**_

Nikola had made breakfast again. This time he and Helen had decided to eat together that morning, for whatever reason. It was unusually quiet, but oddly peaceful.

Helen knew that the small bruise on her cheek was what was making him so uncomfortable, despite her reassurances that there no other way.

They ate the delicious breakfast in silence, until Helen felt the need to say something over the awkward quiet.

"This is delicious, Nikola," she said more as an icebreaker. "I mean, really delicious."

Nikola looked up.

"Oh, yes, you're welcome," he averted her gaze.

"Nikola, will you stop treating me like a victim and look at me," she put a hand on his shoulder. "It's just a bruise, it's already fading."

He sighed and looked up at her.

"I know," he looked at the slight discoloration. "I just wish it didn't have to be from me."

Helen smiled softly.

"Nikola, if anything, this bruise will convince Parsons enough to let me into his inner circle," she took his hand in her. "I would not make you hit me for no reason."

He grinned slightly.

"No reason, huh?" he flirted and Helen rolled her eyes, she knew he was in there somewhere.

Nikola squeezed her hand gently, this was their way of apology.

"So, the message from Mr. Subtle was?" asked Nikola.

"I'm to meet him at noon, probably will get me wearing some kind of recording device, so we'll have to be in character at the festival."

"Right, needy stalker traitor, I can do that."

"It shouldn't be hard for you to pretend you are desperately in love with me, you've done it before," she shrugged.

Nikola didn't answer her, but occupied himself with chewing his food.

"Nikola?" Helen looked at him funny, he went silent, she wondered what he was thinking about.

"Yes?" he looked over at her, playing dumb.

"Nothing, nevermind," she shook her head.

He didn't push her for an answer and went back to eating.

"So, what happens when I get captured?" he asked after a moment.

"Hopefully they take you back to their secret headquarters and interrogate you," she answered.

"Am I to stay in character for that as well?"

"Unless we get separated, or he doesn't take me to the same facility with you then yes, we want them to believe you are delusional for as long as possible."

"What if we don't get separated?" he asked cautiously.

"Then I intend to get all that I can on them before busting you out," she sighed.

"Alright," he nodded.

"You trust me right?" she looked over at him.

"Would I call you here if I didn't?" he teased.

"With you, who knows? Your motivations are sometimes muddled and deeply contrived," she teased back.

"I'm going to love meeting you at the festival," he grinned. "The music, the dancing, all the dark and lustrous activities two star-crossed lovers can get up to in the shadows," he leaned over and pecked her wounded cheek gently.

"Unfortunately we'll be out in the open where they can see us," she glared at him.

"We'll just have to be more sneaky," he caressed a hand over her thigh and she rolled her eyes.

"I was wrong, you're completely delusional, I should have them take you away for the heck of it," she joked.

"Aww Helen, you wound me," he clasped a hand over his heart.

"Nothing wounds you Nikola," she teased.

"Helen, I am but a man with a soft heart," he recited poetically.

"And a soft head," she flicked his forehead.

"Ow," he jerked his head back and rubbed the spot she had hit.

Helen laughed at him and grasped both sides of his head and gave him and small peck on his forehead.

When she released his head she almost giggled at the look of childish shock on his face.

She cupped his chin.

"So precious," she said condescendingly.

He frowned, his eyes darting to the hand holding his chin, as if considering doing something to it.

Nikola grasped her forearm gently, staring into her eyes defiantly.

How easy it could be for him just to reach down and kiss that hand, that, wrist, that forearm, that neck.

Helen watched his eyes swirl with thought, wondering what he was thinking until he pulled her hand down gently, releasing his chin.

"When were you supposed to meet the good doctor?" he asked out of nowhere. It caught her momentarily off-guard.

"What?"

"When were you…"

"Oh, around 11:30, the festival begins around 2:00, and he said he'd like to have me prepared beforehand," she caught up to his train of thought, and shifted away from him in her seat.

"Well then, you should get a move on, it's almost eleven," he gestured to the nearest clock. Helen shot out of her chair.

"Oh heavens! I'll be late!" she bolted out of the dining room and throughout the house to gather all she needed. Nikola just watched her out of amusement.

"Would you like me to call you a taxi?" he asked casually as she flustered chaotically about.

"That would be helpful!" she growled.

"Alright, I will," he stood up from the table and headed to the phone in the kitchen.

Helen managed to gather all her things by the time he was exiting out of the kitchen.

"It will be here soon," he answered for her before she had time to ask.

"How do I look?" she asked.

"Too put together, I think Basil gave you a hard time as you were leaving, that's why you're late," he suggested.

"Good idea, maybe you should…"

"I'm not hitting you again," he raised his hands up defensively.

"No, not that, just…rip my sleeve," she held out her arm.

"Ah, good thinking," he took her arm and, with one swift tug, ripped the sleeve down a couple of centimeters from her wrist.

"I'm thinking Basil has a bit of a drinking problem which has only recently caused these violent outbursts, how does that sound?"

"Plausible," he nodded. "Is this the first time I've hit you?"

"Yes, but you've been verbally abusing me for years," she pulled out the handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped a bit of the makeup off her cheek around her bruise to make it look like she had tried to cover it but didn't succeed.

"How do I look now?" she asked, displaying herself for him to look over.

"Used and abused," he confirmed.

"Excellent." A honk sounded from outside. "That's my ride," she looked over at Nikola. "I'll see you later."

"Farewell, meine Leibe," Nikola grinned and waved.

"I'll meet you at the festival at the music pavilion," she headed to the door as she spoke.

"Ooh, dancing under the moonlight," Nikola mewed amusedly.

"No fake beard or mustaches, just come as you are…but in character," she looked at him sternly. "And no bomb scares either, I mean it!"

He scoffed.

"Will you go, already?" he scooted her out the door. "I'll be fine just go."

She nodded and ran out to the cab. She chanced one last look back at him, waving slightly before getting into the cab and driving away.

_**~~~~Later~~~~**_

Helen arrived at the hotel a few minute past 11:30, stepping out of the car and heading up the steps to the front entrance. He was to meet her in the lobby.

She noted the familiar black suits as she walked through the hotel doors.

Neil Parsons stood waiting for her, his face fixed with something akin to worry.

She forced a weak smile and approached him.

"I'm sorry, I'm late, I was…detained," she said, watching as his face melted at the sight of her then reddened with anger at the the bruise on her cheek that she had made to look poorly covered up.

"Helena, what has happened? Who did this to you?" he cupped her face to examine her bruise more carefully.

"Basil came home early...he didn't like that I what out so late, he jumped to conclusions…he may have been drinking," she bit her lip to hold back her fake tears.

"What did he do to you?" Neil asked with genuine concern, she found it rather touching.

"What any jealous man in a rage does to his wife…this is the first time he's actually hit me, he usually uses harsh words as a prelude to trying to conceive children," he gently caressed his thumb against her cheek as she spoke.

"I ought to kill him," he growled.

"It's nothing, it's just a bruise, I'm fine. I'll be rid of him soon enough," she grasped his hand and lowered it.

"I'll see to it, personally," she added softly.

"I know you will…but we have different matters to discuss," she changed the subject, releasing his hand.

"Right," he nodded, dropping his hand as well.

"Shall we be dining in the lounge?" she asked.

"No, for this we need a more private setting," he offered her his arm.

Helen felt a small wave of doubt enter her, but she had to risk it. She took his arm gratefully and let him lead her to the elevator and take her up two floors to the room he and his goons had been occupying.

It was fairly cramped with technology well above the requirements of a simple military bounty hunter. Helen decided not to say anything.

He showed her to a seat.

"Would you like a drink?" he offered her gently.

"No, no thank you," she shook her head.

"I hate to have to ask you to do this in your stare," he started.

"No, if it will buy my freedom from that…man…I'll do it," Helen acted easily. It helped that she had met a few actors in her time.

"Are you sure?" he looked at her as if she might break.

"Yes, I'm sure he won't hurt me, not with this, if anything it will be just the distractions you need to get him and me out of this place," she looked at him sincerely.

Parsons leaned over and cupped her face again.

"Leave us!" he ordered to his goons. They looked at each other blankly, then left. "Helena…"

"Yes, Neil," Helen looked into his eyes.

"If you would let me, I would be honored to take you back to the states…with me…I mean, not just escort you…I mean," he fumbled slightly.

"I know what you mean," she smiled softly and leaned over, kissing him gently. "I'd be delighted."

He smiled shyly. Helen enjoyed having the power to melt the hearts of even the most sinister men.

"But, if I'm going to go with you, you must promise to be honest with me, I'm done with lies and deception. I don't care if you've lied to me before now, but if I'm to go with you I need to know that you trust me enough with even your deepest, darkest, dirtiest secrets…I'll share mine if you'll share yours," she flirted, caressing his cheek tenderly.

He mulled over it for a second.

"Alright, I will, but not here, not now. When we have him captured and you safely away from here I'll burst open like a broken dam, I promise," he kissed her sweetly.

"Deal," she grinned.

"Now, to business," he leaned away from her, doing all he could to contain his excitement.

Helen feigned it proudly, knowing she had found his Achille's Heel, and had bore her way into his circle.

She sat back in her chair and smirked to herself as Dr. Parsons began to divulge his plan to capture Nikola.

_**~~~~Later~~~~**_

Helen arrived at the music festival at 3:30, immediately given a mask at the entrance. She put it on and walked through the grounds of the festival. There were many stalls, many tents, many artists selling their work, all surrounding the main stage pavilion where the music was playing before a wide open dance floor where masked figures upon masked figures danced together in blissful delight.

Helen scanned the crowd of hidden faces. Looking for a hint, a tell, anything that would make him stand out amongst the din of bodies.

She was subtle but not overly so, knowing she was being watched from both sides, one being one of her oldest and dearest friends, one being the mysterious group after her old and dear friend, and one being the man the mysterious group thinks they're after being played by her old and dear friend, and she was the balance between all three.

Nikola would be subtle, and his signal would be clear only to her. Neil's men would hide amongst the crowd and appear when needed.

Helen felt more than a little nervous about being caught in the crossfire.

Why'd it have to be a masquerade?

Helen suddenly was pulled on to the dance floor and into a snug embrace. She was shocked for a brief second before realization took over her.

"You?" she said, recognizing the smirk behind the mask. She signaled to him that she was wired with a microphone.

He didn't respond but handed her a scrap of paper, pecked her lips, and then spun away into the flurry of dancers.

Helen read the words written on the paper.

"_Meet me at the gazebo across the park."_

Helen smirked slightly, folding the note and tucking it in her clutch.

She moseyed past all the other festival participants, past all the tents, pretending to browse before reaching the other, less crowded, end of the festival grounds. She saw the gazebo, it looked quite untouched but she approached it nevertheless.

She felt a little unsure as she got closer and still saw no sign of him.

If he was here it was the perfect place to get nabbed without drawing too much attention. He was clever she had to admit.

She walked up the steps to the gazebo, her heeled shoes clunking against the wood.

"Hello," she called out tentatively.

No answer.

She moved to call again, and was jerked into the shadows, suddenly pulled into his embrace.

"Hi," he said simply.

"I got your note," she reminded him about them being listened to.

"I was hoping we could speak alone," he took her hands, signaling that they were probably being watched.

"We are alone," she said, trying to sound a little intimidated by him.

"Are you sure? You've been spending a lot of time with that man lately, I was worried you…"

Helen grasped his hands.

"Only to get him off your back, he wanted to use me to get to you but I refused and told him a tall to have him sniffing in another direction. You're the only one…"

"Really?"

Helen tried not to roll her eyes. He was really playing the part of pathetic lover.

"Of course," she sighed, still trying to sound nervous.

Before she knew it he was kissing her, for show of course, but she didn't want him to get any ideas.

She pulled away from him and smiled nervously.

"I'm sorry," he gasped. "I couldn't stop myself. You're just so beautiful."

He stroked a lock of hair from her face.

"Thank you," she blushed slightly, he always seemed so sincere.

"Let me see your face, please," he reached for her mask and her hands darted up to stop him.

"No wait!" she cried.

He pulled off the mask anyway.

Nikola let out an appalled gasp at the sight of her bruise.

"Who did this to you?" he growled angrily. "Did that man do this to you?"

He caressed her bruised cheek.

"No! It's nothing, really," she pleaded.

"I'll kill him," he snarled.

"No it wasn't Ne-I mean, Dr. Parsons, it was my…husband," she looked down forcing tears into her eyes. "It was my husband."

"How could any man treat you in such a manner?" his thumb brushed away her tears gently.

"He doesn't love me, I wonder if he ever did…you do, right?"

"How could I not?" he stepped closer to her. "From the first moment we met I knew I loved you."

Helen watched his eyes. Why did these words seem more than just a ruse when coming out of his mouth?

"Will you take me away from this place…away from my husband?"

"In a heartbeat," he stepped even closer to her, his hands falling on both her arms.

She reached up and pulled his mask of, her hands caressing his face.

"What is your name?" she asked.

"My real name is Javor Dragoslav," Helen rolled her eyes. Of course, when did he never use that nickname. It was almost as much apart of his life as his name itself.

"It sounds foreign."

"My parents immigrated from Russia to America when I was just a child, I haven't gone by it in years. Not with such distrust between the two countries," he shrugged.

"I see," she nodded her head. "Will you take me back to America with you, Javor?"

"I couldn't stand another day without being with you," he kissed her again, his hand creeping into her neatly done up hair and undid the clasp, allowing her reddish hair to fall down her shoulder so he could tangle his fingers in it.

Helen noticed the approaching goons out of the corner of her eye. It wouldn't be long now. She signaled to Nikola that they were coming, he nodded and kissed her deeper.

She could see Neil leading the pack.

She broke the kiss and pulled away.

"I'm sorry," she gasped.

"What?" Nikola winked at her subtly before Neil grabbed both his arms and pried him away from her. "Hey! What is going on! Get off me!"

"I'm sorry, Javor," she said as earnestly as she could watching his face melt with betrayal. Even though it was just an act she had seen that face too many times in her lifetime that the weight hurt.

"Helena?" he looked at her and his eyes pierced her soul.

"I didn't mean to, Javor, they gave me no choice," she forced tears again.

Two goons took Nikola off Neil's hands and began dragging him away.

"Helena! I thought you loved me! I love you!" he cried.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed.

"You bastard! You did this! You turned her against me!" cried Nikola, pretending to fight against the men holding him.

"Take him away," ordered Neil. He turned to Helen. "Are you alright?"

She nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I will be," she choked.

"You heard him, he's a traitor, don't get hung up on his affections for you as honest as they may be, he was going to hurt a lot of people, you just saved a ton of lives," Neil said comfortingly.

"I know it's just…hard," she sobbed.

"Here, I'll take you home," he offered.

"No, please, I don't want to go back there, not if he's there. I never want to go back to him again, I want to go with you, please," she begged.

"Alright," he sighed.

"Thank you," she hugged him gently. "Where are you taking him?"

"There's an old war bunker in the forest, we plan to take him there and interrogate him," he sighed.

"You mean torture, don't you?" she asked.

"I'm hoping it won't coming to that," he took her hand. "I won't make you watch, I promise. The bunker has many rooms, with cots and bedrolls. I'm sure you could rest,"

"Alright," she sighed.

Helen took his arm and he led her to his black car parked just outside the festival grounds.

~~~~Author's Notes~~~~

K, sorry for keeping you waiting. :) Hows it going friends? School tough? Tell me about it! I want to die right now, i'm so exhausted. Just finished production week, have a million and one things to do in the next few weeks...already want to crawl into a hole and hide. Still find the time to write though...kind of crazy.

Hope this entertains you for awhile. I put some extra yummy moments in it just for you :) I have no idea when i'll find time to write the next chappie, all i ask for is your patience.

Happy Easter!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Nikola had no idea what time it was, or even how long he'd been out for. He was locked in what looked like an old army bunker; this room must've been a storage compartment of something at one point, now it was his prison.

The walls were bare and grimy, as well as the chair he was chained to. With his vampiric strength he could easily break through his bonds, but that wasn't the plan, he was to wait here until Helen came back for him, or a maximum of five days if she didn't.

Nikola cracked an eye open. He had no concept of time it was but he'd already begun counting.

He cracked his neck, sleeping in a chair was hardly pleasant on the joints but it wasn't like he could request better accommodation, he just hope Helen faired better than he did.

_**~~~~Elsewhere~~~~**_

Helen sat across from Neil in the small sparse room. Neil was talking to one of his men in a hushed voice about something. Helen didn't really care; she was more engrossed in her own thoughts than in Parson's secrets. She wanted to see him; it had been only about six hours since they had parted company, both playing their parts brilliantly, but now she worried. She wondered if Neil had lied to her, if Nikola was even nearby, if he was hurt…she didn't know, and she didn't like not knowing.

She only had a brief sleep when she arrived to this old war bunker last night; she spent most of the night pacing and roaming to all the places Neil said she could go. So she searched, feigning nervousness and anxiety for Neil when in actuality she was marking all the exits and passageways, planning her and Nikola's escape when the time came.

There was one vent that led to a tunnel that possibly led to a sewer, as Neil had explained to her; there was the main entrance that led up into the forest, and there was a network of tunnels below them led into the heart of Vienna.

Helen favored the first two routes as opposed to the third, but she made plans to use all three in case one or both of the first exits were blocked from them.

Neil finished chatting with his man and waved him off dismissively.

Once he was gone Neil turned to Helen.

"You've been awful quiet Helena," he said softly.

"I'm sorry," Helen blinked. "It's hard not to be a bit daunted by all this."

Neil nodded.

"I know, but we won't be here long, I promise," he took her hand gently. "Once we have the go ahead to proceed with the right information from our friend, we'll be out of here and headed back to America."

Helen squeezed his hand gently then released it.

"It's going to take awhile for me to get used to all this, I've never done something so…so scandalous before," Helen forced a blush. "I can't even fathom what my mother would say."

"My mom would probably say "Good on ya, honey," but she was a flapper in her youth so she is biased," Neil joked lightheartedly.

It was a shame really, Neil really was a nice guy, it was just too bad he marred it all with his evil schemes.

"Can I see him?" asked Helen. "I want to…it's ridiculous but I feel I need to…please?"

Neil bit his lip slightly.

"Helena, he's dangerous, I wouldn't trust him to take to your presence kindly."

"I know but…I think he need to hear it from me…it would ease my conscience a little knowing I told him myself why I did what I did…after that maybe I can…put this all behind me and accept my new life…with you."

She visibly saw him melt at her words.

"Helena, I…"

"Yes, Neil," she forced a sweet smile. She hoped it would be enough to draw out some information from him.

"I haven't been completely honest with you," he looked down sheepishly. "I'm not really supposed to…I did it for your own protection but I'll protect you now so…and at the time I didn't know you'd so quickly become so…important to me."

"What is it Neil?" she asked.

"I'm not really military…I was…and I work for a top secret faction of the military…military scientists and all. With what's going on with Russia, they've been rounding up some of the best minds in the country, and people with special skills…unique and extraordinary skills to keep the Americas as the power holder in the world. Your friend, he's one of those people we want, but he's also very dangerous…he had a mind like Nikola Tesla's, and with his ties to Serbian heritage and lackluster loyalty, it was my prerogative to get him under control before he began working for the other side. He masqueraded as a high school teacher in Colorado before we caught on to him, and he's been running ever since. I don't know who he thinks we are, and running to Vienna makes him quite suspicious. That's why we're questioning him here first, in case he's a security risk."

"I see," Helen bit her lip thoughtfully. "I appreciate your honesty Neil, thank you."

"You deserve as much," he smiled kindly to her.

"Let me see him, I'm sure I could get him to tell me something, let me help," Helen grasped his hand tightly. "If he still loves me he'll tell me something, anything, just give me the room alone with him, no bugs, no cameras, I'll get you answers."

"You have no training for such a thing," Neil scoffed.

"I was a teenage girl once Dr. Parsons, I know how to get boys to give me what I want…it's called flirting. If you ask me there's a fine line between flirting and interrogation."

Neil laughed.

"Oh Helena, you are remarkable."

"Please, let me see him, he won't harm me, I know it."

"Alright, I'll give you twenty minutes, after that I'm coming in to get you."

Helen nodded.

"Without any eyes or ears?"

"Not a one, I promise."

Helen leaned over and pecked his cheek.

"Thank you, Neil."

She swore he blushed a little at the action, so she just sat back downand smiled again. He was playing right into her hand.

_**~~~~Later~~~~  
><strong>_Neil led Heen further into the bunker.

It wasn't heavily guarded which was a good thing, but it was dark and cramped.

Helen clung to Neil, more so not to get lost than out of fear. He led her right to a dark corridor with a large steel door.

"This it it," he mumbled.

"No eyes or ears as promised?" she asked.

"Just go in and disable them," sighed Neil. "You have twenty minutes with him, and that's it, then I barge in,"

"Where are they?" she asked.

"There is a camera on the wall by the door, see?" he pointed out the two cables coming out of a hole in the wall. "And three microphones, just follow the cables. I figured if he saw you disable them he'd be more trusting."

Helen nodded.

"Good idea," she smiled softly.

"Be careful," Neil grasped her hands gently. I couldn't forgive myself if he hurt you."

"He won't, but I will…be careful," she pecked his cheek again.

It really was a shame he was working for the bad side.

Neil opened the door.

"I'll be right here, just bang on the door if anything happens," said Neil as he unlocked the door.

Helen nodded her thanks before hesitantly making her way inside the room.

Her eyes fell on him. His arms were tied behind the back of the chair, his head slumped forward, a patch of dried blood on his collar, the top three buttons torn. His chest moved in and out raggedly with each breath, and Helen could just see from this angle that his nose had been broken. It pained her to see him all battered and bruised; despite his acute healing capabilities she'd have to reset his nose for him for it to heal properly.

She firstly disabled the cameras and microphones and double-checked that they were the only ones in the room before making her approach over to him. He was still unconscious as far as she could tell.

She came up to him and gently grasped his nose in her finger before snapping it back with a loud sickening crack.

Nikola sprung awake with a muffled yelp.

His eyes met hers with a small appreciative smile.

"Helena?" he said, maintaining character, though his eyes betrayed him.

Helen smirked.

"It's just us Nikola, no one's listening," she reassured.

"Oh thank god, I don't know how long I could keep that up, it's so sappy," he sighed. He wiggled his nose and then snorted, a single shot of blood firing out of his nostrils and on to the floor by Helen's feet. "Thank you, by the way."

Helen looked down, unimpressed, at the spot of blood then back at him.

"Charmed, I'm sure," Helen reached into Nikola's pants pocket.

"Oh Helen, not here they might hear us," Nikola teased and batted his eyelashes playfully.

Helen pulled out his spare handkerchief and held it up for him to see with a roll of her eyes before using it to wipe his face with.

Nikola grinned but accepted the face cleaning with appreciation.

"Thank you, darling," he mumbled as she finished.

"How've they been treating you?" she asked.

"Splendidly, I have room service coming in an hour, and a German massage scheduled at three. What do you think?" Nikola muttered sardonically. "And I could ask you the same question."

"Well the food isn't five star but it's far from horrible, and Neil all but proposed to me. He's fixing his story, adding more truth…he's waiting outside," she lowered her voice slightly.

"How long have I been here? I've lost track," Nikola lowered his voice as well.

"6 hours, give or take, it should be past midnight by now," she looked down at her watch.

"Really? It felt longer than that."

"How long have you been unconscious?"

"I don't know, I've been wavering in and out between sessions," he answered.

"How many of these sessions have you had?" she asked.

'Three…no two…no three, first one was kind of the orientation, then came the questions, followed by some fist work from your boyfriend, by the way, he may look like a small man but he hits like a gorilla."

"Are you alright?" she ran her hand up through his hair affectionately and he inhaled sharply, his head moving against her hand to maintain contact.

"Mmm, I missed you," he growled in the back of his throat and Helen rolled her eyes.

"I was moving your hair," she huffed.

"Sure you were," he winked which earned him a frown.

"Would you like me to break your nose again?" she glared at him.

"No, I'm fine," he shrugged. "But you could untie me, this position is making my shoulders ache," he whined.

"I can't, Neil will he here any moment and I can't have you giving me away," she warned.

"So you're not busting me out?" Nikola looked at her a touch lost.

"Not this time, I'm afraid. I wanted to make sure you were ok, as well as plan out an escape route," Helen kept her voice low.

"Will you divulge your plan to me, my love?" he grinned facetiously and she glowered at him.

"Not here," she sighed. "Not now."

"So how do you suggest we go about it?" he looked up at her expecting an answer.

"Can you cry?" she asked.

"Only if you break my heart," he answered jokingly and Helen humphed at him in response, then poked him in the eye.

Nikola yelped.

""Why would you do that?" he whined, his eyes squeezing shut and watering over.

"Oh look tears!" Helen proclaimed innocently.

"That hurts you know," he mumbled trying to blink his eyes causing more water to fall down his cheeks.

"Good now keep that up and act a bit more betrayed, I just used your affections to turn you over for Pete's sake," Helen instructed.

"You poked me in the eye!" he accused.

"Only to get the tears started, now cry man, cry, or I'll poke the other one!" she threatened.

"Well what are we looking for? Sobbing mess? Pathetic heartbreak? Or simple sad face?" offered Nikola.

"Someplace between pathetic sob and simple sad face," Helen shrugged. "You're the one who slept with the actresses not me."

"Only three of them, and one was technically a cabaret dancer, and boy could she dance. She did this things with her leg, she'd have it wrapped around my-"

Helen poked his other eye.

"Ow! Why?" he cried.

"That's not helping!" Helen rolled her eyes. "The last ting we need is for you to be aroused and sobbing.

"Good point," Nikola mumbled blinking both eyes.

"And by the way," she leant down and pecked his cheek. "That's for being so brave."

She smirked at him and he eyes her through his squinted eyes.

"Oh yah, and that helps with the crying," he mumbled sardonically.

Helen rolled her eyes at him again.

"It's your own damn fault, if you'd just stayed under the radar instead of showing off and attracting the intentions of some pseudo-military branch who want to use brilliant minds and strange creatures as a method to beat the Russians, none of this would've happened, and you would be off cavorting with the school teacher instead of being tied up in a German war bunker."

"I am aware of that," Nikola kept blinking.

"So you agree with me?" Helen asked condescendingly.

"Only because you'll hit me if I don't," he gave her a sardonic smile.

"Good, now tears," she ordered.

"I'm working on them," he grumbled.

"Work harder," she demanded.

"Fine," he muttered and closed his eyes, as if meditating.

"What are you doing?" Helen groaned.

"Searching my soul for sadness," he muttered back.

"Oh good lord…" Helen rolled her eyes.

Nikola opened his eyes and Helen's eyes were stopped mid-roll.

It was ridiculous, but her heart knew that look, several times in fact. She'd seen it before in the near century they'd known each other, more than once, in the few times he'd allowed himself to be honest and vulnerable with her.

She stood stunned, her heart twinging at the sight of those two blues eyes, swirling with what she could only describe as a dark, hurtful sadness. Nikola didn't bring fake tears and loud sobs, just a look that made her feel like she had ripped out the heart of a child and stomped it under her boot.

Helen's own eyes, strangely enough, began tearing up, and her vision blurred and before she realized she was crying Neil burst in on the tense moment.

Helen broke away first, a mix of emotions, not really understanding why it affected her so much.

"Oh…Neil," she sniffled and quickly wiped her eyes.

"Is everything all right?" he asked.

Nikola shot his gaze down, playing his part; he was always just playing his part.

"Yes, we're…we're done now," she eyed him out of the corner of her eyes, subtly signaling him one last message before letting Neil lead her out of the room.

As they went out two heavy-muscled goons stepped and cracked their knuckles. Nikola instantly turned off the façade and looked up at them.

"Please," he begged. "Not the face."

_**~~~~Elsewhere~~~~**_

Helen got out into the hall, and Neil shut the door behind them.

"Helena, are you ok? Did he hurt you? Did he…"

"No, no…no nothing like that…it's just…I was prepared for him to yell as me, to scream, struggle, anything but that. Did you see him? He looks so…defeated, I've never done that to a person," she shook her head, wiping her eyes.

Neil placed a hand on her shoulder.

It wasn't comforting. This whole escapade was a reminder to her of the costs of knowing someone for too long: all the small things hurt a bit, especially when it came to Nikola. Their shared past was complicated; one part incredibly close friends, and one part ex-lovers, and one part painful memories. If there was one man who could hurt her the most it was Nikola.

She took Neil's hand off her shoulder and squeezed it gently before releasing it and stepping back.

"I think I'd like to lie down…by myself for a bit…I'm tired," she sighed. She was tired.

"Yes, of course, I'll escort you to your room," he offered and she accepted.

They walked in a deafening silence through the bunker. Helen's eyes felt dry and weary. She couldn't stop thinking about Nikola, and the treatment he was undoubtedly receiving from Neil's goons. It made her less pleased with his presence beside her, but she did her utmost to not show it.

She tried not to picture Nikola sitting in a chair, dried blood on his face and his just recently healed nose jarred out of place again. A part of her wanted to kick Neil on to the floor and give him a similar treatment with the heel of her shoe, but she had to play innocent damsel for her and Nikola's schemes to work.

"Here you are, if you need me you know where I'll be," Neil opened the door for her.

Helen wordlessly moved to go inside the room.

"Would it be ok with you if I came by later to…check up on you?" asked Neil and she nodded.

"I just need some rest," she sighed.

"Okay," he sighed. "Rest well."

He closed the door and his jaw stiffened dramatically. Neil stormed down the way he came back to the corridor where Nikola was being held. He unlocked the steel door and barged in right as one of the goon's fists made contact with Nikola's abdomen.

Nikola gasped and spat out string of red saliva. He hadn't felt this abused since 1888.

Neil pushed past the two large men and grabbed Nikola roughly by the collar.

"What'd you say to her?" Neil barked, forcing Nikola to make eye contact with him.

Nikola just grinned through the bloody haze.

"Talk, damn you!" Neil shook him.

"She'll never love you the way you want her to," he mumbled. "Not after this."

Nikola grinned even more. The insolent little brute was nothing more but a lovesick teenager with bigger friends. It was fun to mess with him.

"You piece of shi-"

"Ah, ah, ah, language. Wouldn't want to upset Tweedledum and Tweedle-ugly, would you?" Nikola teased. He only had to play sappy romanticist when Helen was around, with these chumps he could mess with them any way he liked.

Neil brought back his fist and punched Nikola hard in the face. Nikola's head snapped back with a sickening crunch.

"Ow!" he teased some more. "That one actually hurt!"

"Don't push it genius, I have no problem dragging your lifeless corpse back to HQ, I'll just say you tried to run away. We'll just go after the next genius, and the next till we have all the brains we need. You think you're so special. Do you think you're measly little intelligence could add up to someone like Edison or Tesla?"

Nikola laughed.

"Yes…because I am Nikola Tesla!" he laughed some more. "I am Nikola Tesla!"

One of the goons motioned to strike him but Neil stopped him.

"Don't," he held the goon back. "He's gone mad…let's give him some time to cool down."

The goon nodded and the three of them walked out.

Nikola laughed until the door shut closed, then he ceased, spitting once more before rolling his eyes.

"Nearly broke my nose," he mumbled. "Again."

_**~~~~Author's Notes~~~~**_

_****_Ughh! Life has been sooo busy as of late. I've been meaning to uload this chapter for weeks but i haven't been near a computer for the past week, so busy up in Drum doing the Passion Play, it's pretty crazy. I will try to have the next chappie up quicker, I've been writing like crazy the last few weeks. I have fun ideas for troublemakers and HWMA, and some others. Been working on a sequel to Vampire Nubbins, nothing publishable yet, but i've started the mental process, i'm trying to make it as good as i can for all of you who enjoyed the first one.

I know you're all in a time of mourning, (like me, Syfy screws us over once again) but i hope this will cheer you up. I'll keep writing for you until Troublemakers and HWMA are done, and hopefully more after that...if perchance life doesn't get in the way.

The next few chapters i'm real excited for, so hopefully I can deliver them to you in a timely fashion :)

Enjoy your May, and have some consolation Niko cookies...and hope that this won't be the last time J-Yo and Amanda ever work together. *crosses fingers*


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Helen shifted awkwardly in the bed. She'd been resting, or at least attempting to rest for the past hour or so, but all she could think of was her plan to get Nikola out of his current situation, and put an end to this rogue group of military scientists.

She rolled over again, she couldn't quite get comfortable enough, perhaps because this was an old war bunker, and the memories of her time sneaking around bunkers just like this to stop Hitler's reign of terror were still fresh in her mind.

She shut her eyes tightly, forcing them to stay closed, all she saw was Nikola, his face bloodied and beaten, wearing the uniform of the royal army, and Neil wearing the steel blue uniform of the Gestapo standing over him with a bloody fist.

She opened her eyes again and sighed. This was hopeless. She sat up and rubbed her eyes slightly. She shouldn't leave, Neil could be back any moment, but she needed to finalize her investigation.

She gingerly walked up to the door and opened it a crack. There was no one there. She opened it wider and peaked her head out. The hallways on both sides were bare. She stepped out and headed left, their was one area she had yet to check, where she assumed something was going on, something Neil didn't want her to see.

A scientist came out of a room, and Helen ducked into a small archway covered in shadow. Her eyes were on him as he fixed his coat and then continued down the hallway.

When he was gone Helen snuck to the door he had come out of. Opening it cautiously, she stepped inside. It was a supply closet, well a room being used as a supply closet, with one dim light at the end coming from a lantern.

"Charlie, is that you?" a voice said suddenly.

Helen quietly made her way around the shelves to see a young woman, about the same height as she, with her lab coat and what looked like a head cover, as well as goggles and a mask were draped on a crate while she buttoned up her blouse. She had dark brown hair that was down and messy.

Helen smirked; no wonder what she and this Charlie were up to.

"Geez Charlie, why must you be so quiet?" sighed the woman. "You scared me half to death."

Helen decided not to answer.

"I thought you said you were off to the lab, why did you come back?" she asked. "Did you miss me?"

Helen nodded, wondering if she could just see her in the shadows.

"Men, you act so tough but all you really want is to be inside a woman's embrace," the woman chuckled. "But I can't, if we're gone any longer they'll get suspicious."

Helen picked up a large heavy object and slowly crept behind the woman.

"So you should go now Charlie, I'm almost done, later tonight you can...we can meet again," the woman smiled. "Then you'll have me to your heart's desire."

Helen swung the object towards the back of the woman's head and she fell to the floor with a clunk.

"Sorry," Helen apologized and dropped the object, grabbing the woman's gear off the crate and slipping it on. She had a passkey to exactly where Helen needed to go, it seemed luck was on her side tonight.

She crept out of the supply closet completely disguised behind all the gear she was wearing and began making her way to the restricted area. The door unlocked easily with the help of the passkey.

She quietly snuck in, her eyes observing the room around her. It was a normal lab, and she wondered how long they'd been down here. There were thick tanks lined up on a cart, METHANE written on their sides. It was an odd gas to have on hand, but with the ongoing tension with Russia, she knew new methods of warfare were being considered, but why methane?

She moved further into the room, drawn by the sound of an animal. It was like a monkey and a cat mixed together, the sound screeched and hissed, then cawed. Maybe there were three different animals, she didn't know, but her curiosity got the best of her.

She followed the sounds to the other corner of the lab. The sight struck her to the core. Abnormals; a certain kind of animal-like Abnormals all caged into some kind of extraction operation. Her blood boiled at it. Going after Nikola was one thing, on some level he did deserve it, but these innocent helpless creatures, strung up with metal and wire with IVs of strange and frightening liquid draining in their bodies it was too awful, she had to put an end to this, to all this.

"Looking at the Pertradons again?" a man said behind her. "Sure are ugly aren't they?" he continued.

"Yes," she said in her best American she could manage. It was convincing enough for the scientist behind her.

"Come on Lara, get back to work," sighed the scientist and he went back to his job at the workbench.

Helen growled lowly and looked back at the creatures.

This definitely presented a change in plans.

"Excuse me," she mumbled and left the room.

"Hey, where are you going? Lara!" called the scientist, but Helen just kept walking, shedding herself of the lab gear until she was far enough away.

She needed to get back to her room, before Neil caught her sneaking around.

She got to her quarters and jumped when she opened the door and saw Neil waiting inside.

"Oh, Neil," she sighed. "How long have you been here?" she asked.

"A few minutes, where'd you go Helena?" he asked, somewhere between suspicion and concern.

"To the facilities," she said innocently.

"You shouldn't be walking around here alone," he walked up to her.

"I didn't know when you'd be coming back and I couldn't wait," she let him take her hands.

"Just...find me next time," he sighed.

"That's awful sweet of you Neil, but I'm perfectly capable of finding the washroom by myself," she kissed him on the cheek.

"You're right, I'm being over protective, it's just, you've become so...important to me these last few days, I..."

Helen stopped him by kissing him. He tasted foul, and she was slowly starting to loathe him despite his boyish affections for her. He was the head of operations here; he was beating her friend, and hurting innocent Abnormals all for war. He was evil with a kind face.

Nevertheless she dragged him over to the bed, allowing him to fall on top of her. The kiss broke and he looked down at her.

"Helena, are you sure?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm sure," she was sure of something all right.

He kissed her again and began trailing kisses down her neck and throat to her clavicle. Helen tried not to wretch, instead making small mumbly sounds as she reached behind her to grab the lamp from the bedside table.

With one fell swoop she smashed the lamp over his head, knocking him out flat. She had to use all her strength to push him off her.

She felt disgusting and used the edge of the bedspread to wipe off her neck.

She quickly flipped him over and stole the ring of keys off his belt, as well as his gun from its holster. She left the room and locked the door behind her.

Helen was done with this place, and these people. She had seen enough of their schemes to last a lifetime, now it was time to free Nikola, and commence step two in their plan which involved halting their schemes, and freeing the poor, helpless Abnormal's they were testing on.

It was why she didn't just help Nikola escape. They needed to cut it off from its roots so they couldn't grow back and cause trouble again.

She reached Nikola's room in record time. There were two guards standing outside the door with blood on their knuckles. She couldn't fight them, and she wouldn't shoot them. The gun she took was for security only. She tucked the gun into the back of her skirt and under her blouse and his the key ring in her bosom.

She turned the corner and came up to them.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. Dr. Parsons would like a word with you in the lab," she said as officially as she could.

"Which lab?" asked one of them.

"Which lab? Well, which lab do you think? Do I have to spell it out for you or can you even read?" she barked and the two men shifted uncomfortably.

"Nevermind, we know where to go," the two men nodded and left quietly.

"Good answer, I'll man your post while you're gone, like I haven't got enough to do already," she kept mumbling and grumbling until they were completely gone then pulled the keys out of her shirt.

After a bit of fumbling she found the right key and unlocked the door.

She stepped in and saw him; then she chuckled.

"Hello handsome," she said slyly.

Nikola opened his eyes grinned at her.

"You sexy woman," he growled, sitting up straighter.

"Can you free yourself, or do I have to do all the work?" she leaned against the doorframe.

"I don't know, I'm curious to know the work you do," he leered at her suggestively.

"You already know that, darling," she winked at him and he chuckled. With one tough yank the cuffs fell free and his arms swung around and cracked back in place.

"Ohh! That feels much better," he cracked his neck. "I missed you."

Helen rolled her eyes.

"I've been gone all of two hours," she sighed.

"Yes, and they were the loneliest two hours I've ever spent," he teased as he stood up. He elongated a nail and used to tip to unlock the metal cuffs from around his wrists.

"Come on, it won't take long for them to realize I've let you out, I'd like to be halfway out of here before that happens," she tugged his arm and began leading him out of the room.

"If we get into trouble, can I?" Nikola let his eyes go black to emphasize his point.

"Yes, you may, but try not to hurt them too badly," she smirked as his eyes turned back to blue.

"Well, take all the fun out of it," he muttered.

She took his hand.

"Shall we?" she asked with a smile. He squeezed her hand and smiled back.

"We shall," he nodded in agreement.

They began walking through the weaving maze of the old bunker; they didn't get too far though when they were met with the two goons Helen had sent off.

"Hey!" shouted one of them, pulling out his gun.

"After you," Helen sighed and Nikola grinned vamping out in full, using his strength to wallop one of the goons in he face and send him flying, while spinning the other one over and dislocating his arm. The two heavyset goons were whimpering in the floor in less than a minute.

"Oh payback feels good," Nikola sighed in his vampiric tone.

Helen laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Let's get going before you begin quoting Shakespeare," she sighed tugging him down the corridor.

It wasn't long before the alarm sounded through the entire building.

"That's our cue to pick up the pace," Nikola grabbed her hand and they moved from a steady jog to an all out run. They heard more of Parson's men rally behind them.

"Which way?" barked Nikola.

"To the main entrance, we can lose them in the woods," she suggested, it was the best route out of the three she'd found.

Helen ran ahead of him to lead the way, he followed, one of his hands still clawed in case of trouble.

Helen halted when she nearly ran into a cart full of methane tanks, being carried out the entrance. She and Nikola took no time in knocking the scientists unconscious and moving the cart between them and the oncoming armada of personnel.

Helen took out her gun and cocked it.

"Oh Helen, I love it when you go commando," Nikola growled with a grin.

"Have you noticed the fact that we seem to be trapped?" Helen rolled her eyes. The front entrance door was sealed because the alarm had set it on automatic lockdown, which she didn't take into account.

Nikola looked at it and scoffed.

"I can handle that," suddenly his body jolted and he looked down at his shoulder. "Ow."

He pried a small caliber bullet out of his arm.

Helen grabbed him and yanked him behind the cart as bullets began to fly.

"Give me the gun," he held out his hand to her. "If I get hit it's nothing, if you get hit then...we can't afford that, give me the gun."

Helen nodded and handed it to him

He got up from behind the cart and began shooting back at the goons.

After about five minutes he crawled back down and dropped the weapon. It was empty.

"Any other ideas?" he asked.

"I don't know, I thought I planned it better than this," She sighed.

"We could always make love," he suggested.

"And that will help us how?" she eyed him funny.

"It won't, but what a way to go, huh?" he teased. Helen was about to roll her eyes but stopped, noticing the tanks they were hiding behind.

"Are you sure you can break down that door?" she asked.

"Of course, It's simple steel, my claws will slice through it like butter," he said with a sense of pride. "Why, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking, we just might have the thing we need to get out of here without getting shot in the back," she gestured to the tank. "The old smoke and mirrors trick if you catch my meaning."

Nikola grinned widely.

"I could kiss you," he leaned in close to her.

"Maybe later, first let's get out of here and to someplace safe. Can your amazing claws cut through one or two of these tanks, the burst of gas should cause enough of a fog to disguise us."

"As my lady wishes," he smirked, letting his claws come out skillfully.

In a swift motion he sliced through two of the tanks, the gas coming out in a big smoky haze. Helen coughed a little, and heard another round of coughs from the other side of the room.

Nikola coughed as well, heading to he door and making quick work of it, he had cut a whole, like one would with a glass cutter on a window pane, but had yet to pop it out. Helen came up to him and took his hand.

"I know where to go from here," he whispered to her, his lips just ghosting her ear, the sensation made her shiver.

He bumped the door and the cut out piece fell out easily.

By the time the gas had cleared Helen and Nikola were nowhere to be seen.

They ran like free spirits through the trees, darting over fallen logs, and roots. Hands still entwined.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"I took the liberty of moving us to a new house, since they know where we were staying," Nikola staggered slightly. "Whew, I must've been sitting down for too long, my head is..."

"Mine too," Helen nodded.

"But it was brilliant!" Nikola jumped with excitement.

"Let's just...get out of here," Helen sighed.

"Right," Nikola nodded and took her hand again.

They jogged at a decent pace for a while until Nikola's foot snagged on to a root and he toppled to the ground taking Helen with him. Helen landed on top of him with a grunt.

The two laughed, for whatever reason.

"Clumsy me," muttered Nikola.

"I guess we could count this as a rest," Helen sighed resting her forehead against his chest.

"I feel funny, don't you?" asked Nikola. He blinked a few times.

"Well, we did just inhale a ton of methane, we'll probably feel funny for awhile but it's nothing to be worried by," she sat up, her hand still on his chest. He looked at her hand for a moment before grasping it in his own, he gently brought it to his lips and kissed the top of it.

"What was that for?" Helen asked, feeling very breathy.

"You're amazing, you know that, right?" he sat up, looking into her eyes. "I don't deserve your brilliance."

"No, you don't," Helen teased.

He groaned and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Why did we do this again?" he muttered.

"To learn about who we're dealing with, and now that we know we're going to destroy them," she said determinedly.

"Oh Helen, you're so sexy when you plot revenge," Nikola nuzzled her slightly and she laughed and pushed him off.

"Let's get to the safe house first, we're not out of the woods yet," Helen sighed getting up.

Nikola chuckled.

"Funny," he smirked, stumbling to his feet.

They made it without incident back to the Penzing district, and back to the residential area. It turns out the house Nikola had moved their stuff to just happened to be across the street from the old one. They walked casually down the street to the front door.

Nikola unlocked the front door and they went inside, locking the door behind them.

Helen went and closed all the drapes, kicking off her heels. Nikola dropped the keys where he was standing. Blinking again.

Boy, did he feel strange.

Helen came back to stand in front of him.

"I've closed the drapes," she said. "I'm starting to understand what you said about feeling weird. This doesn't feel right at all."

Nikola nodded and suddenly began kissing her forcefully; Helen kissed back without hesitation.

Nikola finally pulled back, his pupils dilated and unfocused, just as hers.

"Everything is so..."

"I know..."

"I want to...

"I know."

Without another word the two began kissing frantically, both noticing how the world began to morph around them into nothing but colors and senses.

This was not normal at all, Helen thought, but as Nikola hands began sliding down her thighs she ceased to care.

**_~~~~Author's Notes~~~~_**

Okay! New chappie! Awesome, exciting! Woohoo! I've done nothing but write for the past two days, it's both glorious and maddening! But awesome.

Ooh surprise ending, I know this can't end well. If you recall Chimera, the whole conversation went something like were you expecting the matrix, well yeah, or vienna in springtime...so you'll see in the upcoming chapters how i translated that...I think you'll guys will get a kick out of it :P

More chapters on the way! Woo!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Helen groped around warily. She felt disoriented and dizzy, and the world didn't make much sense to her eyes or her body.

What had happened?

She was lying face down on the bed, the sheets and covers were strewn all over the floor except for the one wrapped around her body, her incredibly naked body. She pushed herself up, holding the sheet.

There seemed to be a valley of destruction and mess leading from the bed to the door.

An empty wine bottle laid no more than a few feet from her. She felt her head as a dull pounding began to beat through it, not a hangover, it was weirder...stranger. She soon realized that half the bottle of wine had been used to drench her as the stickiness descended from head, to her face, down to her chest.

Her mind suddenly flashed to Nikola's hands around her waist while his tongue lapped up long streaks from her collarbone right up to her chin.

Her hands were digging into his scalp to pull him into a fiery kiss.

Helen blinked and the image was gone. That was weird. She couldn't tell if that was a memory or an idea. It felt familiar and foreign at the same time.

She moved off the bed, her legs shaky, and her world still spinning.

She managed to find what looked like her blouse and put it on, as well as her underwear.

She needed to find Nikola and get this whole thing sorted out.

Her mind flashed to another image of her plastered on the bed, Nikola pressed atop her in an amalgamation of sweat and limbs, both caught up in the haze of passion as sheets flew to the floor, things were kicked to the ground and smashed upon impact, his claws digging into the mattress beneath them.

Only then had Helen turned to see the scratch marks and shredded sheets on the bed.

Her head was spinning with confusion.

What had happened?

She had to find Nikola, had to explain all this.

She stumbled to the closed door and pried it open. Lying before her, on the landing of the second floor, arm cuddling the wooden railing while his face was buried in the crook of another, snoring lightly was none other than Nikola Tesla.

He was clad in nothing but his black briefs, in a similar state she was in she could only assume.

Helen was using the doorframe to hold herself up. She raised her hand and began smacking the side of it loudly causing him to jolt awake.

"Ugh heh meh," he mumbled.

"Nikola," her voice was ragged and husky to her ears. He turned to look at her, his eyes widening slightly, not with surprise, but because, like her, his head was swimming. "You, me, shower, now!" she barked.

He groaned and began to push himself up to his feet. Despite being horribly confused about what had happened and why Helen demanded they get in the shower but with her tone he wasn't going to argue.

She pushed herself off the doorframe and stumbled to the bathroom. She heard him come stumbling after.

~~~~Later~~~~

Helen and Nikola sat in the tub as the water poured on them endlessly. Nikola had his knees drawn up and rested his arms on them as his head rested against the tile. Helen opted to rest her head on her arms.

They were both wearing what little garments they had.

"What happened to us?" Helen groaned.

"I don't know...but I have some ideas," he groaned with a chuckle.

"Me too," she muttered. If his ideas were anything like the ones she was getting it was not good.

"I seem to remember licking wine off your-" he looked over at her.

"Stop staring Nikola," she groaned, not bothering to look, she just knew.

He averted his gaze elsewhere.

The water was helping a little bit.

Helen sighed heavily.

"I seem to remember the same," Helen admitted after a moment.

"It would explain the sticky feeling on my face," he shrugged.

"So, obvious answer, we somehow lost control and we had sex," she sighed.

"I can concur on that," he nodded. "But how? Now that's the question."

"Did you?" Helen began but Nikola scoffed.

"Helen, there are better ways to try and get you into bed without drugging the both of us out of our minds. We must've ate something or...drank something that caused this reaction."

"Neil and I ate the same meal, and you?" she asked.

"I think feeding me was last in their priorities," he scoffed. "Wait, there was that gas...during our escape."

"It was simple methane, how could methane cause this?" she looked up at him.

"When its not just simple methane," Nikola responded.

"You think another chemical was added or something?" she asked.

"Methane easily can penetrate the system, I wouldn't put it past them, some kind of narcotic maybe?" suggested Nikola.

"That causes anyone who inhales it to jump on the next person they see?" added Helen.

"Not specifically, but it affects the nerves maybe, the brain would be affected, you'd get heightened emotional states, mixed with a narcotic it would all blend together, euphoria, rage, paranoia-"

"Lust?" Helen finished for him.

"I'll have to admit, this does feel like I've just ingested all the narcotics in the world," Nikola blinked his eye. He didn't want to say anything but the water droplets looked more than a little trippy for his liking.

"This does remind me of the time me and John ingested opium," Helen sighed.

"I don't want to know," he groaned, and then blinked. " You ingested opium?"

"It was his idea!"

"Well you two are idiots," he muttered.

"We were young and excitable," she shrugged.

"Translates to: idiots."

"Do you mean to tell me that in your whole 80+ years of living you never, you know, tried anything?"

"I tried blood," he shrugged. "It's as close as I got."

"Really? You and the actress never did anything?"

"Excuse me if being drugged out of my mind isn't exactly my idea of a good time, I prefer knowing how and who I sleep with. The memories are half the fun."

Helen rolled her eyes at him then realized she didn't like how the world spun when she did that.

Nikola's hand shot out to steady her and the sensation gave her chills despite the warm water pouring on them.

He looked over at Helen and leaned in a bit closer.

The simple touch had shot a spark through both of them, a feeling neither could explain. Nikola looked at her searching for some kind of answer or evidence in her eyes.

"Do you feel as strange as I do?" he asked.

"Yes," Helen leaned closer to him.

"It must be still in our system," he surmised.

"Most definitely," they both leaned in, suddenly overwhelmed by sights and sounds and colors.

"Must be in the nervous system," he continued.

Helen reached out a hand and caressed his cheek.

"We just need to sweat it out, like a virus," she twirled his wet hair in her fingers while his hand slid up her knee.

"We shouldn't do something rash...something we'll regret," his steel blue gaze bore into her.

"Never," she leaned and he did too and their mouths collided in a wet desperate kiss. His hands jumped to her hair holding her closer, and soon, before she realized she was straddling his lap.

They broke the intense kiss and he began kissing her throat and collarbone hungrily.

"This is definitely the gas," she said as he ravaged her throat.

"Mmhmm," he mumbled his response.

"Causing a heightened emotional state between the two of us," she continued.

"Most definitely," he muttered against her skin.

"We should probably stop," she groaned as his hands slithered up past her hips and under the wet loose fabric of her blouse.

"Oh yes," he said, showing no signs of stopping.

"Before we do something we might regret," Helen was beginning to pant a little, finding it hard to keep track of her focus. Her eyes saw a colorful world full of shapes and objects and him, through the haze of color he was there, driving her emotionally insane with his tongue and his hands.

Nikola ceased responding and tore the blouse away with his bare hands.

"Nikola," Helen moaned lightly, her eyes closing in a vain attempt to keep hold of the shred of control she had left. "Please..."

He stopped, holding his face against her, his own breath coming in pants.

"Please what?" he whispered back to her, it sounded like a desperate plea and hearing it made Helen bite her lip slightly.

"...Bite me," was the only thing she managed to say.

He did not need to be asked twice.

In a moment his vampiric fangs were in her and her vision exploded as the narcotic gas took full reign over them once more. Helen's eyes opened wide and she didn't recognize the world she was in, just him, and how he felt, and it all felt right./

/ Helen's eyes fluttered awake.

Every muscle in her body groaned, every joint complained, and her head felt like someone had conked her over the head with an anvil, but the hardest part was, she knew why.

He was lying beside her, naked and mumbling in his sleep. Well, neither were lying very well, they both kind of occupied the bed in an attractive sprawled out kind of way.

Nikola's body cut across the entire bed his head squished into the mattress, one arm dangling off the edge, the other suspiciously close to her breasts, his lower body made a crescent moon shape around her, and one corner of the sheet she had managed to tuck around herself was tucked around his hips. He mumbled incoherently, and his back rose steadily as he breathed.

Helen couldn't remember what time it was, or even what day it was. Their drugged out escapade had been very disorienting, and Helen only got flashes of their activities. Most of them were hard to justify, and she wondered if she had dreamt half of them. The last thing she really remembered for certain was Nikola sinking his fangs into her in the shower, and then the rest of the night became a big and confusing haze.

This was a disaster. It wasn't the first time she had slept with Nikola, far from it, but as they had learned in their 80+ years of knowing each other, they worked much better as friends then as lovers, despite Nikola's protests. They've tried it and it just doesn't work despite being amazingly compatible with each other in bed.

Helen blinked with that thought. That came from nowhere. She shook it away.

This was an accident, a drugged out mess, they were going to put it aside and finish their mission.

Helen slowly sat up and had to blink again. It became very apparent to her that last night's previous activities did not just involve the bed.

The room was in shambles; paintings were knocked off their hooks. Objects were knocked off their perches. The door was unhinged and splintered, threatening to fall against the railing of the second floor landing.

Helen began smacking Nikola's back to get him to wake up. He awoke with a snort and some inarticulate utterings.

He lifted his head and groaned.

"Nikola," Helen said sternly.

"I swear this is not my fault," he groaned.

"I know," Helen sighed.

"You can not blame me for this," he groaned again and sat up, the sheet still resting over his hips.

"That's not what meant, look," she gestured to the state of the room and Nikola forced his eyes open and then blinked.

"Wow," he sighed. He couldn't remember what happened completely, but by the state of the room it had been rather extensive. He looked at her and grinned. "Well, we had fun."

Helen glared at him.

He then noticed the door.

"Wow, did I do that?" he pointed at it.

"I don't know," Helen shook her head.

"That gas is killer," he sighed running a hand through his hair and finding, strangely enough a piece of licorice in there. "Were you eating?"

Helen blinked, the question seeming random to her.

"I don't think so...why?" he handed the black piece of candy to her and she scrunched her face at it.

"I found that in my hair," he mumbled.

"Eugh!" Helen tossed the candy to the floor. "What is the point of all this?"

"Huh?"

"The gas! What is the point of it? What possible use could Neil and his goons have for a narcotic has that drives people sex-crazy?"

"Well..." Nikola started jokingly but was silenced by Helen's sharp glare. "I don't know, maybe it affects different people different ways."

"So what? This is just us?" she asked.

"Well, as we've proven, it seems to attack the emotional centre of the brain and probably the sensory as well with whoever inhales it. If you were alone you may have reacted differently, or even with a group of strangers, but you and I...well, we've known each other a long time...and this isn't the first time we've..."

"You think our minds went back to...to that?" Helen asked cautiously.

"It may have just been coincidently. I mean we were playing lovers up until then...I bet that if we inhaled that gas again we would not have the same reaction," Nikola suggested with a shrug.

"Right," Helen nodded. "So it is just us."

"Yes, and us made one hell of a mess," Nikola chuckled.

"You start cleaning, I'm going to hop in the bath and run some water over these muscles, I feel as if I've been weight lifting elephants," Helen swung her legs over the side of the bed and took the sheet with her, leaving Nikola exposed. "Ohh!" Helen moaned in pain, pressing a hand into her back. "I have an idea of why the door is broken."

Nikola was already standing looking for his clothes; he turned to her and grinned.

"Kinky," he teased.

"For the record, I blame you," she grumbled and he snickered going back to his search as Helen staggered over to the bathroom.

Nikola found his briefs and what used to be his pants under the bed. He held them disdainfully, not really wanting to wear them but not really wanting to be caught with no clothes on, especially if Parsons and his gang were quick on their tail. With that rationalization he put on the briefs. At least they weren't wet.

A moment later Helen came darting out of the bathroom, shaking her head.

"I'm going to go use the bathroom in your room," she said hurriedly.

"What's wrong with that one?" Nikola looked at her and she just waved at it.

"Go. See, it's...I'm going to...bathroom in your room," Helen gathered her own stuff and went to the door to try and set it up right or at least move it out of the way.

Nikola looked at her funny, not quite understanding her demeanor. He made his way hesitantly to the bathroom.

"Is their something wrong with the bath-" he froze as his eyes came across the sight. "Oh my..."

He shower curtain was drawn revealing a rather disturbing image. Both he and Helen remember him feeding on her...but the extent of the bloodletting apparently got a little out of hand, though Helen had no evidence of it on her neck or anywhere else for that matter. Props to vampire healing capabilities. He now understood Helen's apparent disgust. The bathroom looked like a murder scene. The clear shower curtain had blood smears, and the tub itself still held the reddish remnants. The floor had some smears as well, and the sink had a lovely bloody handprint smeared on its edge, while its surface contents lay strewn about on the floor, and the medicine cabinet was cracked.

"If it helps I don't think all of it is yours," Nikola called to Helen. He held up what looked like the blade to his razor that was lying at the bottom of the tub. It wasn't his; it must've belonged to the people who lived here. He looked down his body knowing he'd find no evidence of it on his skin, she must've had a bit of bloodlust herself.

He smirked.

From the evidence it looked like they made their way from the tub to the sink, then to the bed. He lifted up Helen's blood soaked undergarments and blouse from the tub, and scrunched his face up in disgust before setting it back in and turning on the faucet. He started using his hand to clean off all the bloody remnants from the porcelain surface. He saw a hand towel hanging on its ring and took it, soaking it in the water and ringing it, he was just about ready to start cleaning the smears from the floor and sink when he heard Helen utter something.

"Nikola!" she called to him. "Come here, please."

He dropped the cloth and rushed to her. She had managed to move the door from its precarious position and lean it against the wall.

Nikola got beside her, worried that they weren't alone.

They were.

But they both stood on the second floor landing of the house and looked down towards the lower level.

"We..." Helen started, but the words were lost.

"Obviously we had more fun than we thought," Nikola finished for her.

The entire house was chaos, like they had been robbed or something. Paintings were dislodged or destroyed broken bottles lay everywhere; wine was spilt on the stairs and on the floor. Broken pictures frames lay face down on their perches or on the floor, couch seats over turned, the coffee table had two legs broken, and a lamp was turned on its side with the bulb shattered. The curtains were drawn thankfully and the door was locked, the key lay right where Nikola had thrown it, so they managed to stay inside the house. But the extent of the damage was astounding.

Nikola looked over at Helen and Helen met his gaze.

"Whoops," he muttered sheepishly.

~~~~Author's Notes~~~~

Hehe :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Neil held a bag of ice on his head. He paced angrily.

Warnsworth stood in the corner looking down sheepishly as Dr. Parsons paced in his line in the middle of the room. The other goons stood similarly, at least those who hadn't been quarantined because of the gas.

Neil growled loudly.

"How could this happen!" he barked. "How could I let this happen?"

His resolve was cracking and his power was leaking and he knew it. He let himself get personally involved, a rookie mistake, ad one that just might get him killed or worse if not corrected immediately.

"How could you let them escape?" he barked to one of his goons.

"He...he tore open the tank and blasted us with the gas," answered the goon.

"How?" snapped Neil.

"We don't know exactly, but we saw the tank, there were...claw marks on the side of the tank," said the goon.

"What?" Neil calmed down slightly. "You mean...bring it here, I want to see it!"

"Yes sir," the goon left the room to fetch the tank.

"Warnsworth, come here," Neil directed his attention to the young man.

"Yes, doctor," Warnsworth stepped up to him.

"Did they return to the house?" Neil asked.

"No, I waited all night, scoured the entire property, and even went inside to check. The door was unlocked and there was no sign of them inside."

"The house must've been a decoy!" Neil growled. "How could she side with him, this entire time, how is it possible?"

"Maybe he caused her to change her mind...when they were together, we never did hear what was said," suggested Warnsworth.

"Which was a mistake, I realize, because that's when they decided their escape route," he muttered bitterly.

"If it means anything sir, I do believe truly meant to go away with you, but he...he spoke very passionately to her at the festival. I think she's a little confused herself right now. She's being told two different things, and she doesn't know who to trust, she just wants to be loved, and protected, and by someone who won't hurt her again," said Warnsworth.

"So, you think he coerced her? Then why did she ask to disable the cameras?" Neil asked pointedly.

"Because she didn't want you to know she didn't trust you completely," shrugged Warnsworth.

Neil nodded.

"Thank you Warnsworth, you can return to your work now," Neil said dismissively.

Warnsworth nodded and left the room.

Parsons took the ice bag off his head and placed it on a table.

He hoped for Helena's sake that Warnsworth was right. He cocked his gun and shot the bag. The ice spilt all over the floor.

_**~~~~Elsewhere~~~~**_

Helen and Nikola stood back-to-back in the shower as the water descended over the two of them.

Helen ran shampoo through her hair as Nikola used a bar of soap and ran it over his sticky skin.

Both of them bathed in silence. Awkwardly trying to clean themselves without having to look at each other. Nikola had opted to shower in his briefs just to make it that less of an issue.

He didn't quite understand why they weren't taking turns; it had something to with saving time, Helen more or less dragged him here and forced him under the water, ordering him to keep his back turned.

The only time they had acknowledged each others existence in the cramped space was to hand each other soap and stuff. Nikola thought about shaving as his kit rested only a bit a ways from him but then his mid flashed to the razor in the other bathroom and he decided against it.

"Do you have any cuts on you?" he finally asked.

"No, why?" asked Helen.

"No reason," Nikola went back to awkwardly scrubbing himself with the bar of soap.

Helen washed the soap out of her hair. Nikola felt her whip it back and it slapped his shoulder, he didn't say anything.

"Why are we doing this?" he asked finally.

"It's called hygiene," Helen said tersely. "Shift positions so you can wash off."

Nikola nodded and they awkwardly shuffled so he was under the direct spray of the water. Helen stole the bar of soap from him and handed him the bottle of shampoo.

Nikola took it silently and squeezed a small amount on to his hand.

Helen accidentally elbowed him in the back.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

Nikola groaned. He turned around to face her.

"Helen, this is ridiculous, we're adults we can-"

He was cut off by Helen slapping him.

"I warned you," she threatened.

He rubbed his cheek and turned back around, then turned back.

"You know what, no! Helen, we've had sex many times before this, you know I've seen you naked before in several positions. Why are we acting like juveniles? We're in a shower together after having, apparently, very rampant, wild sex, which we can hardly remember, so what's the point? Who cares? It happened, it's not the first time; it's definitely been one of the stranger sexual encounters I've ever had, definitely the trippiest. But we've known each other 80+, are we going to get awkward every time we get drugged out of our minds and snog each other, or will we move on, accept that we were both not in control of our faculties, and then move on."

Helen sighed.

"Are you done?" she asked with a huff.

"Yes," he sighed.

"Then turn around and let me do your back," she ordered.

"Only if you let me do yours," he teased.

Helen sighed.

"Fine, but only my back," she threatened him with her pointer finger.

"Helen, believe it or not, I'm not in the mood," he raised his hands defensively and turned his back to her.

She lathered the soap in her hands and began spreading it onto the skin of his back.

"I don't like the thought of not being in control of my body," she sighed.

"And you think I do, I've had first hand experience of what it's like. That blood bath over there...that could've been you, do you think I'm okay with that?

"I thought it was me to begin with," Helen sighed. "But I have no mark, not even the puncture wounds on my neck."

"They heal remarkable fast, I must not have bitten you very deep or for very long," Nikola offered.

"Then where'd all that blood come from?" Helen asked.

"I found a razor at the bottom of the tub, my thought is that you...had other ideas than just me drinking from you," Nikola offered lamely.

Helen's mind immediately flashed.

_Nikola bit into her neck as she straddled his lap, and she cried out inarticulately, and a hand shot out from where she had it in his hair to the tile, the feeling overwhelming. The water still poured down on them. Helen's eyes caught a glint of metal. A razor, resting on the edge of the tub, must be belonging to the owners of the house. She took it in her hand and ran it across Nikola's shoulder. He growled and released her neck but she was fascinated with the morphing and changing colors leaking out from his skin and washing away. It was beautiful, but the wound healed too quickly, so she sliced again, the flowing color returning, she placed her hand in it, collecting as much of it on her palm as she could manage, she watched it swirl for a moment before she saw the curtain, a magical shape of its own. She smeared the blood down the curtain, her drugged senses bulging at the sight and the smell, she turned back to Nikola, his eyes swirling as well and she kissed him. He tasted like nothing she could describe, and felt like nothing she could comprehend, and his blood was a festival of colors and she wanted more of it. She took the razor down his chest in a long deep line, he groan mixed between pleasure and pain and her hands were in the paint, watching the way it slid and mixed with the water. The water beat around them like a drum, adding into the sensory overload of it all. Nikola gripped her arm as she made more cuts on him and began smearing the blood in all kinds of places as his arms slid around her to rip the thin cotton from her chest and his lips reached for her clavicle, nibbling the skin there. Helen's eyes kept wide, as everything kept morphing and shifting before her eyes. She didn't know what was happening to her, but it was beautiful. Nikola's colorful blood now smeared across her chest was soon being washed away, it collected at the bottom of the tub and she held the razor in her hand tightly as he scooped her up to her feet and pressed her against the tiled wall of the shower; the heat of his body mixing with the cool of the water, an experience all on its own. His back was left free for her fascination as he did his own exploration of her. She brought the razor down in three sharp stabs, and he pressed into her more with each plunge. She gathered the blood and smeared it on the curtain again._

_It was like artwork and she let herself become distracted by it. Nikola pulled back and reached behind him, feeling the wound on his back, his hand returning with the colorful smears, their eyes met and he pulled the curtain back, shutting the water off and scooping her out of the tub, his bloody footprints leaving trails as he tugged her to the sink and roughly plopped her onto its surface, with such force her head bumped into the medicine cabinet, the cheap glass breaking. His bloody hand rested on the edge as he stepped in between her legs and continued to ravage her with kisses._

Helen's mind shot back to reality. Reaching back she touched her head, there was definitely a bump there where her head had met the glass but there was no wound.

"You okay?" Nikola asked.

"I think so," Helen sighed. "We were out of control."

Nikola chuckled.

"Remembering some bits and pieces?" he nodded knowingly.

"I stabbed you with a razor," Helen watched the soap run down his back. "I liked the way your blood looked."

She was a bit disgusted with herself.

There were no scars on his back, no evidence of it at all, but it didn't help her feel less sick to her stomach.

"Helen, I'm immortal and you know that, you wouldn't have done it if I couldn't have healed, at the time I probably enjoyed it," he tried to be consoling.

"That doesn't make me feel any better," she muttered.

"Fine, turn around, I'll do our back now," he sighed and stole the bar of soap lathering it up. He was about to put it on her back when he noticed the large sickening bruise that went from her lower back to right below her shoulder blades.

His mind suddenly flashed.

_Helen wrapped her legs around him and he lifted her off the sink and to staggering legs, taking her out of the bathroom. He missed the bed completely and in a desperate attempt to keep upright slammed her against the old oak door. Her cry was almost a song, the friction like a small explosion emanating from where their hips were connected to his brain. His lips stayed connected to hers as her legs lowered to the ground and she grabbed his hips in her hands and forcefully slammed him into her. Another explosion of sensation. He followed her again, bringing his hips back then forward again, the door making sounds like a gong, spurning him further. They weren't even completely undressed, he couldn't even bring himself to remember how to pronounce her name, and even so it would sound foreign to his ears. He kept jarring her body into the wood of the door. The metal hinges like cymbals clanging in triumph, and every explosion he felt made his eyes explode with a different color. He picked her up again, deciding to increase the sensation for the both of them, picking her up and slamming the two of them both into the door. It was jarring, and she grasped his head, pulling his hair, biting his lip. He brought them back again and back again until the hinges of the door broke and splintered. They almost fell but Helen brought a leg down to steady the two of them before they fell through._

Nikola gingerly touched the yellowing bruise on her back.

"I did that," he muttered quietly.

"What?" Helen asked.

"The door...it was my fault," he sighed.

"Oh," Helen sighed. "Well, I feel like a did it."

She meant it jokingly but it stung a little.

He gently slid his hands down her back and Helen moaned slightly.

"That feels nice," she sighed.

Nikola hesitated slightly before continuing.

As gently as he could he washed her back, making sure not to hurt her anymore than he'd already had. A part of him wished the yellow-black mark would wash away, but it didn't. He brought his hands up to her shoulders and scrubbed the soap over her the blades and the peaks, then up to her neck, kneading it gently. When he was done his hands fell away.

Helen turned and smiled at him gratefully.

"Thank you for that," she patted his hand.

He held her hand and stepped closely to her, and without a word pressed his lips to hers in a tender but meaningful kiss.

Helen was taken by surprise, and felt breathless when he pulled away.

"I thought you said you weren't in the mood," she said cheekily and he chuckled.

"Call me curious," he shrugged. "I've spent the last few hours doing nothing but roughhouse with you and I can't remember one single gentle kiss."

"Do you want to?" Helen looked at him humorously.

"For comparison," he nodded and Helen laughed.

"Get out...and hand me my towel would you?" she shoved him out of the shower and he chuckled.

"Fine, I'll grab you one," he sighed.

Helen ran once more under the water then shut it off, just in time for Nikola to thrust a tower into her arms.

"Thank you darling," she said out of instinct.

"You're welcome snookums," Nikola responded, mimicking her accent.

Helen rolled her eyes.

"Get out," she barked.

"Hey, this is my bathroom, use your own!"

"Well, your blood ruined mine, plus my mirror is broken," she said defiantly.

"I have to shave," he said just as defiant.

"I have more hair than you, go get dressed and make breakfast, by the time you're done the bathroom will be free," she stepped out of the shower.

"Can't we just use it together," he came up close wrapped his arms around her.

"No, you're a mirror hog, ladies first, now shoo!" she pushed him out of the bathroom and closed he door behind him.

"This isn't fair!" he whined but then huffed and went to his suitcase, pulling out some fresh clothes, using the small vanity to fix his unruly hair.

Once he was dressed and acceptable he left the bedroom and descended the stairs. The downstairs living room, dining room and kitchen were in more of a shambles than the upstairs. He found an article of Helen's clothing, he presumed used to be her skirt, draped haphazardly over the seat, a lamp was leaning precariously, ready to topple. Nikola quickly set it upright. He went to examine the coffee table, it's legs we're snapped off and splintered, but easily fixable. It's surface, and the surrounding rug were left with the sticky remnants of wine. A good merlot if he was not mistaken. The carpet had a deep red stain, and the table was sticky to the touch.

The liquor cabinet was torn open and half its contents lay on the floor, a broken whiskey bottle, a bottle of brandy, some other choice poisons to choose from. Either over turned or broken, the liquid spilt on to the floor or down the side.

He'd have to go in the kitchen and grab some towels and rags to mop it all up.

He reached the dining room and paused, the chairs were overturned, and the picture frames and small figurines that lined the little shelves from the living room to the dining area were either knocked over or to the floor. He stared at the table, feeling hauntingly familiar with its presence.

_Nikola grabbed Helen's hand and tugged her from the living room to the dining room, or at least tried to. Helen took over and slammed him into the wall, bumping the shelves there, small crashes resounding by him but they sounded like fireworks, or like music, a bit of both in his ears. There was pain but it felt too foreign, too fascinating to be pain. Helen pulled his shirt out of his pants and used it to tug him further; he went willingly, before gaining the upper hand and knocking her into another set of shelves, more musical fireworks. He quickly grabbed her hips and led her to the table, lifting her up on to it and leaning into her heavily, almost toppling on top of her. He shot out a hand to catch himself and the wet red liquid dripped from his fingers on to the old wood surface, he used his foot to kick the chairs out of he way so he could be closer to her and Helen dragged him as close as she could, nearly pulling him onto the table with her. In a moment of inspiration he climbed up, knocking more chairs over and scrambled to straddle her hips still trying to keep his lips connected to hers. She ripped his shirt open, one button hitting him in the cheek right below his eye. The shirt was quickly discarded, while the undershirt was torn in two, she pushed the material out of her way as she sat up to kiss his chest. She felt his heart beating beneath his skin. Using the torn undershirt she tugged him down with her so her back was flat on the table surface and he was lying half on top of her. He pulled back, looking down at her and her swollen lips, she was breathing heavily just as he was and they looked at each other for a second. "What is this?" he gasped. "I don't know," Helen said back, their lack of breath making it hard for them to speak. "I feel funny," he rested his head on her chest where her torn undergarments were barely concealing the remnants of the drying sticky wine. Her hands were in his hair holding him gently. "Me too," she sighed. She then yanked his hair, pulling his head off of her chest and towards her face so he was just millimeters above her. They kissed again and rolled off the table, his back hitting the ground with a breath-taking thud. _

Nikola came around the table, noticing all the small button scattered across the floor. His shirt lied in a heap on the floor, where they'd left it.

"I liked that shirt," he mumbled.

Where we're his shoes? Helen's heels were abandoned in the front room, his jacket and vest lying near them where he must've thrown them off. His shirt was here, his briefs and pants were upstairs, but his shoes, what could he have possibly done with his shoes?

He heard Helen descending the stairs, her hair all done up to the best of her abilities, wearing yet another tasteful skirt and blouse.

"Oh my," she muttered.

They looked at each other through the open archway separating the dining room from the living room.

"What were we doing?" she asked.

"Experimenting?" Nikola suggested. "Can you look in the living room for any sign of my shoes?"

"Sure," Helen nodded proceeding to the living room. "Oh Nikola!"

"What?" he rushed to her.

"This was one of my favorite skirts," she huffed at him.

"Who says I ripped it?" he said indignantly.

"Because you have claws," she tossed the fabric away.

"Doesn't mean I used them," he countered. "You could've just as well been too impatient and tore it away yourself."

Helen rolled her eyes and kept looking for his shoes.

"I don't see your shoes," she called; he had already left for the kitchen to get the rags to clean up all the spilt alcohol.

The kitchen was an even bigger disaster, cabinet doors were open the faucet was still on; luckily it hadn't overflowed on to the floor. He shut it off and sniffed, smelling a distinct smoky smell coming from the oven. He noticed it was still on, and he jumped to turn it off quickly. The stove door window was completely blacked out.

"What the-?" he opened the door and a thick cloud of black smoke billowed out, followed by a small burst of flames. Nikola quickly grabbed a towel and opened the window simultaneously, wetting the towel under the faucet then quickly throwing it over the flaming charred mass which looked like...

"Oh no," he groaned.

"Where the bloody hell is all this smoke coming from?" Helen came in coughing.

Nikola dropped his head slightly and pointed to the oven.

"I found my shoes," he sighed.

Helen blinked and coughed.

"Oh dear," she muttered. "You baked them."

"I don't think I am entirely to blame here," he huffed, closing the oven door. "I liked those shoes."

"Well, I'm sorry, I'll reimburse you for them if that's what you want," sighed Helen. She really didn't want to know what they were up to the caused either one of them to throw Nikola's shoes in the oven and bake them overnight.

"Whoever owns this house is in for quite a shock," smirked Nikola.

"Yes, a ruined oven, a stained carpet, and pile of broken figurines, and half their wine collection missing, they're going to think some kind of debaucherous party went on in here," Helen rolled her eyes.

"We could leave a note saying "Sorry," if you want?" he shrugged.

"That won't help," she sighed and ran a hand through her damp hair. "At least we haven't been discovered."

Nikola screwed his face up in thought then moved past her and out of the kitchen. Helen followed behind him, curious to what he was on about.

He went to the closed windows and peeked out behind the drapes to the quiet street outside.

"What is it?" Helen asked.

"Seems they are on the search for us, your boyfriend must miss you," Nikola smirked.

Helen stood beside him and peeked out of the window to the house across the street.

"What are you thinking?" she asked, looking up at him. His mouth curled into a devious smile.

"This is going to be fun," he chuckled, his eyes sparking mischievously.

"That's what you said before," Helen rolled her eyes. "Somehow I highly doubt it."

Nikola smirked and walked away from the window.

"Oh no, this time is going to be fun," he took what bottle of wine was still left intact from the liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass taking a generous sip of it. "We're going to mess them up badly."

Helen turned to him, her curiosity piqued.

"How so?"

"With tricks of course," he shrugged simply.

Helen smirked.

"What tricks do you have up your sleeves, Nikola?" Helen stepped up to him and he handed the glass to her.

"I'm shocked Helen," he said as she took the glass to take a tentative sip. "I thought you should know me by now."

Helen met his gaze with a small half smirk.

"What are you thinking?" she asked again.

Nikola leaned forward and took the glass from her again.

"Tricks," he reiterated with an even and chilling tone that just screamed trouble.

"You were right Nikola…this is going to be fun," she released the glass when she felt his hand encompass hers over the neck of the glass.

His touch was going to weird her out for awhile now.

~~~~Author's Notes~~~~

Exciting! Sorryif some parts of this were borderline uncomfortable but i had to make it that it just wasn't rampant lovemaking, they were drugged out of their minds, like seriously and part of the destruction came from their so-called "experimenting," with each other during their heightened states. Weird, and a little disturbing, yes, but that what I think would happen if you were drugged with a hallucinogenic narcotic and horny beyond belief at the same time. Bit more explanation on the weirdness :)

Sorry I've been slow to update, work has occupied my summer, and I also have a sun burn :( Not cool at all.

But if you're still reading i'll keep updating. I hope you guys are still there *looks out into cyber world* HEEEELLLLO!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Neil and his men searched the house endlessly, flipping it upside down and inside out looking for anything.

"There's nothing here!" shouted one of the men and Neil snarled.

"Tricked from the start!" he growled. "She was too perfect, I should've seen it."

"This house didn't even belong to them, the property is licensed under a Gertrude Vogel," said another goon, handing Neil the information.

Neil handed it back and picked up an old picture frame of a beautiful young woman.

"This must be her, younger of course," sighed Neil. "She's a dead end, probably doesn't even know her home is being occupied let alone by who."

"She doesn't even live in Germany, migrated to the states years ago," said the goon. "Right to the town where we found our little high school teacher."

Neil perked up and then burned hotly for a moment.

"Of course she is," he slammed the frame down to the ground and it shattered. "That bastard has kept one step ahead of us the entire time!"

"And the woman?" asked the goon.

"We know nothing about her. His wife, his friend, his accomplice, who knows?" growled Neil. "But they can't hide forever and when they come out of hiding we'll be there, waiting for them."

Neil whistled and signaled to his men to leave the premises.

"Warnsworth, stay here and keep watch, if you see anything remotely resembling one or both of them, restrain them, you hear me?" ordered Neil.

"Yes sir," nodded Warnsworth.

"Try to look inconspicuous," said Neil as he tailed the group into the row of cars out front of the house.

Warnsworth sighed as the train of cars left down the street, leaving him behind.

"Dear Warnsworth, try to look inconspicuous for my girlfriend who might be trying to take over the world with her genius boyfriend, wouldn't want you to get in the way," Warnsworth mocked and crept into the alley between the houses.

He leaned against the fence.

"I'm a professional Warnsworth! I screw up and blame it on everyone else," he continued to grumble. "Like you because you're stupid."

He began lighting a cigarette and continuing his small tirade.

He didn't hear the fence door open behind him and two head peak out into the alley, watching him with wide grins.

Helen looked at Nikola and Nikola chuckled silently as they listened to Warnsworth mock and complain about his boss.

"Nevermind that you went to York or anything like that, Warnsworth, you're still an idiot, not like me, look I have a gun and it's bigger than yours."

Helen signaled to Nikola that it was time.

Nikola smirked and let go of the door, letting gravity use it's natural force and the fence door collided against the fence loudly.

Warnsworth jumped and turned to face them.

"You know, you're hardly inconspicuous when you grumble like that," said Nikola.

"What? How?"gasped Warnsworth.

"Magic," Nikola said, fanning his hands just to be that much more obnoxious.

"But..." Warnsworth looked over at Helen.

"Just get on with it, Nikola, before he runs away," Helen rolled her eyes.

Warnsworth's eyes widened in realization and he began to turn to run but was knocked unconscious before he could even make two steps.

"That was easy," said Nikola.

"It would've been easier if you weren't such an arse," Helen rolled her eyes again as Nikola threw the small man over his shoulder.

"But then it wouldn't be half as fun," Nikola took the body into the hard and Helen closed the fence behind him.

"We don't have time for fun, we already waisted an entire day on "fun" let's just get this done before Neil and his men come back, ok?"

Nikola snickered and opened the doors to an old cellar that had been converted during the war to be a safe bunker.

"I remember these," Helen sighed.

"Me too," Nikola tossed the unconscious man down there carelessly. "Makes a good interrogation room. Tie him up, I'm going to get a chair."

"Right," Helen rolled her eyes.

Nikola headed to the house.

"You probably gave him a concussion," she called after him.

"He'll be fine," Nikola shook his head and waved her off.

Helen sighed and went down to the bunker.

"Fun times my foot," Helen grumbled, pulling a rope out of her bag.

_**~~~~Later~~~~**_

The bag was removed from Warnsworth's head.

He blinked in the bright light.

"Where am I?" he said, the panic evident in his voice.

"In hell," Nikola said dramatically then sniggered. Helen hit him. "Ow..."

Helen stepped into the light.

"Warnsworth is it?" she came up to him.

"Who are you, lady?" cried Warnsworth.

"The better question is: who are you?" Helen said challenging. "I've wondered about you since the beginning, you're not like the others."

"How so?" asked Warnsworth.

"Fresh-faced, innocent with a conscious working for the military mob to hunt down whack jobs and geniuses like him? I don't think so, and trust me when I say I can read people, I lived with a relative Sherlock Holmes for several years, picked up a few things," Helen crossed her arms firmly.

"Heh! Relative," scoffed Nikola.

"Who are you Warnsworth?" asked Helen, ignoring Nikola.

"I was recruited for this squad because of my abilities before that I was a corporal, Corporal Dan Warnsworth," said Warnsworth.

"Bull," said Helen. "You've never been in the military all your life. Though you have gone through a similar disciplinary experience. What are you?"

"I just told you, I'm..."

"Nikola!" called Helen.

Nikola picked up a metal rod and sent an electric charge through it.

"Now this is only going to hurt a little bit," he said with a very suspicious smirk. He held up the glowing blue rod up to Warnsworth's face. "It's just a few volts do the face can't do that much damage can it?"

"No, I don't think so," Helen shrugged.

"Maybe somewhere lower, gut maybe? Or..."

"Alright! Alright! My name is Agent Dan Wilson. I'm CIA," sighed Warnsworth.

Nikola looked over at Helen and she nodded her head. He dropped the rod.

"I'm undercover. Corporal Dan Warnsworth is my cover name. They sent me into the military because I had boot camp training when I was younger so I could become an inside man on this operation. They are operating inside the military but not necessarily with the military's consent. This thing with Russia is beginning to go out of hand, people with lots of power and influence are putting stock into these little pockets of pseudo-military rogues who will build the weapons they want without going through official channels. Eisenhower is getting worried that these pockets will do something drastic so they've sent us in to become preventatives."

"Oh Eisenhower, such a uptight little paranoid, you know I hated working for him. It was all, _"He's going to try to destroy the world any chance he gets. I don't like the information you sent us Nikki. You even leave the building, I'll shoot ya,"_ yeesh," Nikola rolled his eyes.

"Well, you did try to give that machine to the entire allied governments and cause global catastrophe, not necessarily the best traits for one's employees," Helen sighed

"I only did it because you told me to, and it was a waist of my time," growled Nikola.

"Who the hell are you people?" cried Warnsworth, now Wilson.

"Can we?" asked Nikola.

"I can, you, no," Helen pushed Nikola aside. "We're not the bad guys Agent Wilson, we're actually on your side if you'd hear us out."

"All I know is that he is apparently a genius only rivaled by Nikola Tesla himself, though Nikola Tesla would be easier to catch than he is," Wilson pointed to Nikola.

"That's what you think," Nikola snickered.

"Ignore him," Helen waved Nikola off.

"You however, are a mystery. You're not really Helena Heathering, are you?" asked Wilson.

"No, I'm not," Helen sighed. "I might as well tell you the truth."

She looked over at Nikola.

"My name is Helen Partridge, British Secret Service and this is my partner...Frank," Nikola gave Helen a look. "We have the real scientist you are looking for in protective custody, and Frank here was sent to replace him. Our mission was to infiltrate this particular organization after they had kidnapped several key people to recruit into their operations."

"British Secret Services?" asked Wilson.

"We're specialists," interjected Nikola.

"Oh."

"Maybe we can help each other out, you'd get all the credit of course, maybe even a fair promotion," Helen added.

"We just want to stop them," said Nikola.

Wilson looked at the two of them skeptically but then nodded.

"What would I have to do?"

Nikola and Helen looked at each other. Nikola grinned.

"That's the easy part, you just have to call up that fun lovable chap, Mr. Parsons and have him come down here and turn over Helen, she'll take it from there," said Nikola.

Helen went around and released Wilson from his bonds.

"How did you know I wasn't one of them?" asked Wilson.

"Intuition, that and Frank found your badge hidden in your breast pocket.

Wilson shot his gaze down to his chest.

"I see," he glared at Nikola.

Nikola smirked sheepishly.

"So you two have been playing him since the beginning," said Wilson.

"Yes," said Helen.

"And so the whole husband thing..."

"Him in a fake beard," said Helen.

"And the whole thing with Dr. Parsons..."

"A way to get in on the inside," said Helen.

"And the bomb in the restaurant?"

"Him being a dick. Any more questions?"

"I resent that," Nikola butted in. "That happened to be a very ingenious plan."

"Why did you choose him to play the genius?" asked Wilson.

"Hey!"

"Well he looks rather nerdy," shrugged Helen.

"Hey!"

"And he's mad, so it all works," shrugged Helen, shooting Nikola a teasing wink.

"If you gossiping ninnies are done?" Nikola huffed. "We have some work to do."

Wilson stood up.

"Right then," he proclaimed. "After you, my lady."

"Why thank you," said Helen.

"Pah!" Nikola scowled and went ahead of the two of them.

"Is he always like that?" asked Wilson.

"Sadly, yes," she sighed. "You get used to it though."

They excited the safety bunker and headed into the house.

~~~~Author's Notes~~~~

Just a short but fun little chapter. More coming later. Have fun :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The black cars drove in a frenzy up the street.

Helen and Wilson could hear them coming from the living room of the house.

"Here they are. This is it," said Agent Dan Wilson, nicknamed Warnsworth.

"Yes. Remember, just play your part like you've always done, me and Nik-uh Frank will take care of the rest," Helen instructed.

"Are you sure it will work? He's not quite convinced that you are as sweet and innocent as you once were," said Wilson with a small amount of concern in his tone.

"Don't worry, I've got a story for him that will convince him enough, and even so, Frank is a good at his job, make no jokes about that," Helen smirked slightly.

"You two have been partners long?" asked Wilson.

"Yes, on and off," shrugged Helen.

"No, uh, I meant work partners, sorry," he blushed slightly.

Helen blinked slightly confused, then it dawned on her.

"Oh no, him and I, we aren't together, at all," Helen shook her head.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he chuckled awkwardly.

"No, its okay, we have known each other a long time, we're a lot more comfortable around each other than most, it's easy to think we've..." she decided to stop there. "Do you have a partner?"

"What? No, they thought it'd be safer if I went alone on this one," shrugged Wilson. "Easier to stay in character and all that."

"How do you report to your superiors?" she asked.

"Stuff the report in an envelope labeled "Mom" and let them pickpocket me when I'm on my watch," he chuckled. "Very Oliver Twist, but with such moden technology we can't risk a face to face meeting."

"I understand, Frank prefers the old fashioned letter way as well," she chuckled. "Of course he uses it as an excuse to hit on me in public."

"Did he really hit you, that night?" asked Wilson.

"Yes, he did, I asked him to," she smirked slightly.

"And he really did it?" asked Wilson.

"He wasn't happy about it but I convinced him otherwise," she sighed. She remembered the way Nikola gently cupped her face and placed a gentle kiss to her bruised cheek.

Then her mind flashed to him and her in the kitchen during their escapade.

_He rolled them, off his back from their small tumble off the table. Kissing her neck gently. She swatted him off, pulling him by the belt loops through the swinging door into the kitchen._

_She fell against the stove and accidentally ignited the oven. _

_The sound distracted her and she pushed him away. Amazed by the sight of it. She pressed her face up to the glass, looking in awe at the inside of the gas stove._

_Nikola picked up a cloth and wetted it, trying vainly to wipe her neck clean of the wine. The sensation was exciting but she swatted him away to keep looking at the fire._

_She saw his shoes and immediately grasped them and yanked them off his feet. He landed on his back with a thump. Before he could protest she had thrown them inside watching as they slowly absorbed the heat and then wondrously burst into flames. She cried in delight._

_Nikola sat up watching as she clapped and giggled. He grasped her chin and turned her head towards him. They could both feel the heat off the oven on their faces as they sat on the kitchen floor. He kissed her tenderly, the only thing that fascinated him was her, and the way the heat played off her facial features and warmed her skin making it taste soft and comforting. She giggled and kissed him back, wrapping her arms around him as he nibbled on her lip slightly._

_She moved her legs so she was sitting more on his lap. He grasped her waist slightly and toppled them over so that he was lying on top over her._

_He broke the kiss looking at her with dilated pupils. _

_"I..." he gasped. Momentarily out of breath. "I love you, always have, always will."_

_"Shhh," she smiled up at him. Not interested in words, more interested in the way the light of the flames highlighted the bare skin of his back and shoulders._

_He kissed her neck._

_"I love you," he stated again, and began peppering kisses all the way down to her legs._

_All she had on was her underwear. He stopped and rested his face on her abdomen. His vampire sense of smell and taste even more heightened and strange than normal._

_He bit down on the tender flesh of her stomach and she giggled and sprang up, capturing him in a playful embrace._

_With a wisp of her red hair she rolled off him and began running out of the kitchen. _

_He followed after her grasping her hips and pushing her against the wall right before the stairs._

_She had managed to grab another bottle of wine before he had caught her and she offered it to him to open. He gripped the cork with his teeth and pulled it out in one swift movement._

_He allowed her to dump a healthy amount of it into his mouth and swallowed it. He tugged her up the stairs as she tried to take a swig and ended up spilling wine all over the floor of the staircase. She laughed as he picked her up. More wine spilling across the floor._

_They got to the nearest bedroom, hers, and he plopped her on the bed. The bottle abandoned._

_It was so unlike anything she'd ever experienced. The walls shook with the force of it. _

_She felt as if windows could've smashed from the sound of her cries. And at the end of it she had slipped into a half conscious haze. Hearing Nikola get up and grumble something about getting more wine. _

_He walked out on stumbling feet. Somehow managing to put on his briefs. Through her hazy vision she saw him collapse on the landing, his foot kicking the door closed as he grumbled incoherently._

Helen blinked. She felt a bit flushed. That gas was...awful.

"It's show time," Wilson's voice broke through her memory.

Helen nodded and sat down.

"Lend me your handkerchief,"she ordered.

"Uh, of course," he pulled it out of his breast pocket.

She sniffed and began letting the tears fall.

Wilson literally jumped in surprise at the sudden onslaught of tears.

Before he could ask if she was alright Neil and the rest of his goons burst in.

"Where is she?" he barked.

Wilson stood up.

"There," he pointed to Helen sitting in the settee in tears. "She showed up almost an hour ago. Asking for you."

"Helena," Neil pushed past Wilson.

"Oh Neil!" she looked up at him. "Oh I'm so sorry. He made me do it, I never wanted to. You're not hurt are you?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked her.

"Basil, my husband, the man you're after," she sniffed. "He's been playing you from the start. He's a genius, a mad genius."

"Why would he want to do that?" he asked.

"To steal secrets. He's determined when this thing with Russia gets out of hand he wants to have a stake in the winning side."

"And he's been using you to do it?" he asked.

"It's not like I had any choice in the matter, I tried to tell you, but he...he's every where and he's always listening. I meant everything I said to you."

She took his hands.

"Everything," she looked up at him innocently and earnestly.

"Tell me everything," he sat her down and then sat beside her. "If I'm to trust you, you need to tell me everything from the beginning."

"Basil and I were married...are married. I separated from him about a year ago. It turned out he had plans to use me later," she sniffed slightly. "Suddenly he returned telling me he was being hunted...by you guys. And he said I had no choice but to help him. So I packed a bag and I followed him here. This isn't the first time he's made me do this, you know. He's made me his accomplice in dozens of crimes. "

Helen began to cry again,

"Keep going," Neil took her handkerchief and dabbed her eyes gently.

"I asked if this would be the last time and he promised it would be the very last. I don't believe it. I want to get away from him so badly. And when I met you...it was perfect, he'd finally be locked up and I'd be free. When I met you, I saw my way out. But he...he threatened me, told me if I didn't help him escape he would hurt you...he knows..."

"Knows what?" asked Neil.

"How much I care for you," she batted her eyelashes at him.

"Where is he now?" asked Neil, smiling softly at her.

"I don't know, he thinks I've gone for a walk, he'll be looking for me now, I hope he doesn't come back here," she shivered.

"Did he hurt you?" Neil asked, grasping her hand.

"No," she shook her head.

"We'll wait for him, Warnsworth take her up to the upstairs bedroom, keep her there. Helena do you need anything? Water? Something to eat?" Neil helped her stand up and put a hand at the small of her back.

She hissed. Damn that Nikola.

He removed his hand.

" What is it?" Neil asked with concern.

"It's nothing," she waved it off. It was just sore muscles.

"Helena, come with me please," he led her to the small bathroom downstairs.

"Neil, it's nothing," she said.

He closed the door and turned her around and began undoing her blouse.

"What are you doing?" she cried.

He pulled open the back of her shirt and gasped.

"Oh Helena," he revealed the long yellow and black bruise down her back.

He turned her to the mirror to see.

Helen had to bite her lip to keep from saying "Holy Shit!" at the sight.

Thank you so much Nikola, she grumbled in her head. Would've been nice to know that you did this to me.

"Helena, what did he do to you?" he asked.

"What he always does?" she quickly turned to hide the bruise. "Basil doesn't see women as beautiful things he sees them as tools. When they don't do what he wants he makes them."

She vainly attempted to button the blouse back up.

"He's going to kill me. He told me of I ever went back to you he'd kill me. He's incredibly possessive, and very jealous. Even our separation was on his terms. But I ran away...if he finds me he's going to kill me."

Neil generously helped her do up her blouse.

"I won't let him near you ever again," Neil kissed her neck gently.

Helen's mind briefly flashed to Nikola and his lips and his hands and couldn't help the shudder.

Helen opened her eyes. She would have none of that.

"Please Neil, I'm tired," she pulled away from him.

"Yes, you probably are," he sighed and stepped away, opening the bathroom door and letting her out.

"Warnsworth! Escort the lady upstairs, attend to anything she needs," ordered Neil.

"Yes sir," he nodded and followed Helen up the staircase.

Neil began instructing the rest of his goons as they reached the first bedroom.

He shut the door behind them.

"What the hell was all that about?" he whispered.

"It's alright, I used it to our advantage," Helen sat on the bed. "Frank knows his cue, it's up to him now."

"What was it?" asked Wilson.

"Just a bruise," shrugged Helen. "Albeit a nasty looking one which I will be sure to bring up with Frank when all is said and done."

"Can I see it?" Wilson asked curiously.

Helen smirked and shrugged.

"Alright," she stood up and pointed to the buttons of her blouse.

Wilson crossed over and undid the buttons carefully. Helen saw in the mirror on the vanity how his eyes widened.

"Holy crap!" he nearly cried. "How did this happen?"

He buttoned her back up.

"It's a long story," Helen rolled her eyes.

"Did Frank do this to you?" he asked.

"Yes and no," Helen said matter-of-factly. "Yes he did, but it was an accident."

"How do you accidentally do that?" he gawked slightly.

"Some jackassery and general clumsiness," Helen smirked. "Comes with the job."

"This happens regularly?" asked Wilson.

"With Frank, you'd be surprised," she growled slightly. She was going to kill Nikola later.

"Would you ever consider leaving the BBS and coming to America?" asked Wilson. He sat down on the edge of the bed.

Helen smirked.

If she was any other woman she'd have found all this attention very flattering.

"Whatever do you mean, Agent Wilson?" she asked turning to him.

"I don't know. I've just never met a woman quite like you before. Ever. I mean you're smart, beautiful, you're incredibly resilient and resourceful, I can't help but wonder..."

"What I'm like in bed?" she teased him with a smirk.

"I mean in general, off the job, in bed, however you want to put it," he smiled back at her. "I'd kind of like to find out you know."

"Trust me, Daniel," Helen said with a soft smile. "I'm not that fascinating."

"Well you must be, people keep falling in love with you," he grinned like a boy.

"Are you saying you're in love with Agent Wilson?" she teased.

"No, but I'm saying I could be," he flirted slightly.

Helen chuckled.

"I'm sorry to break your heart but, I'm a bit too old for you," she patted his shoulder.

"Not that old," he grasped her hand. "Only by a few years."

Helen chuckled.

"I don't think so, Frank would disapprove," she released her hand.

"It's Frank, isn't it? I should've known. You guys were too convincing as lovers," he shook his head. "You put up with him because you love him."

"I put up with him because it is my job to...I love him because he has been there for me more than any other man has," Helen felt something in her twinge slightly. It wasn't untrue, in fact, it was exactly the reason why she loved Nikola. He was her oldest and best friend.

"So you and he..."

"It's not that kind of love Dan, he and I...we aren't going to stroll off into the sunset holding hands, but he's there for me and I for him. It's a partnership."

She sat down next to Wilson.

"I won't leave him for you though," she smirked.

"I see," he looked down at his hands. "I'd kill to have a partner like you though."

"Ah, don't say that," Helen joked. "You'll make me fear for Frank's life."

Wilson chuckled.

"Don't worry, I'll get over it," he smirked and got up. "I should probably pretend I'm on duty, you know, in case someone comes in."

"That would be the wise thing to do, I suppose," she chuckled and kicked off her shoes. She lay back on the bed and lounged against the pillows. "I'm going to pretend to have a nap. I trust you with my safety."

Wilson smirked.

"You've got it ma'am," he grinned and stood next to the door.

**_~~~~Elsewhere~~~~_**

Nikola watched through the crack in the drapes at all the commotion going on outside. It was a good thing he and Helen evacuated the entire area for the next 48 hours. Tell anyone you're fumigating the entire neighborhood they will willingly leave without question.

He smirked to himself. Sometimes he really was clever.

He pulled his pocket watch out of his vest pocket and checked the time. Plenty of time to wait.

He sighed and sat down, hoping all was well with Helen and Wilson.

He lifted up a glass of red wine and took a small sip. The memory of licking off a similar red vintage off of Helen briefly flashing through his mind.

He stared into the red liquid.

It reminded him of the blood smeared in the bathroom upstairs. His blood.

Then he remembered biting her. Not even this fine a vintage could match that taste.

He took another sip.

Though it was putting up a fair fight.

He snickered and sat back in the chair he had angled towards the window so he could watch and wait in comfort, but just far enough so he wouldn't be seen through the window by any of Parson's goons.

He could still smell her on him, that and the smoke from the oven, but deeper and more embedded was the smell of her and the feel of her, a sensation he'd almost forgotten but fantasized about greatly. He rested his chin in his hands and bit on the nail of his forefinger slightly as he let his mind wander. It wandered to the grace of her smile, the feel of her hands, the softness of her thighs, the curvature of her ass and the swell of her breasts. All carefully catalogued and memorized and sorted in his brain in categories of taste and smell and feel. He took another sip of wine.

If only she had been his without the use of heavy narcotics.

He sighed letting the thought drift away as he ran through his plan again.

He stopped.

Did he tell her he loved her? Through all of this did he manage to say those words to her. A feeling of dread washed over him suddenly.

He ran to the kitchen and looked down at the floor.

"Oh you drugged out idiot!" he muttered.

Either way, Helen won't remember it or she won't take it seriously.

He groaned and went back to his seat.

She wasn't going to let him touch her for another twenty years after this. At least he'd made it count.

He checked his pocket watch again.

Only three more hours to go.

~~~~Author's Notes~~~~

:) Here it is. Hope you like it.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Nikola checked his watch again. Enough time had elapsed, he decided and he got up from his chair.

Outside the sun was going down and all the excitement from earlier had died down as Parsons and his men fell in to traceable patterns. He had spent the better half of the last hour memorizing it. Every fifteen minutes, back and forth like clockwork. Every twenty Parson's peeked out the window. It was tight but there was a minute long gap for him to sneak through and make his way inside, longer if he provided a distraction.

Nikola was already making his way out the back and into the maze of alleyways. He had to make a quick stop somewhere else beforehand for supplies that would aid in his distraction.

It wasn't long before he had arrived back at the bunker in the heart of the forest. It was pretty much desolate except for the few guards keeping watch.

With his vampire stealthiness he managed to make quick work of them before they could even let out a scream.

He carefully went through the destroyed entrance. The gas had already been affecting him at that because he barely remembered doing it, yet remembered he had. It was a strange sensation.

He peeled back the plastic membrane acting as a door until this one could be replaced.

He smirked. Parsons was clearly a man with a one track mind as the halls of the bunker were still in an incredible amount of disarray. Empty tanks with claw marks in them lay strewn across the floor, where he'd left them.

The shells from Helen's hub littered the ground. And the cart, what he was looking for, still stacked high with full tanks of so-called methane.

"Hello gorgeous," he picked up one of the tanks and smirked at it.

It was curious how little security this place had now.

He looked around.

Either Parson's had used most of his men to secure Helen or...

Nikola put down the tank and walked further into the complex. He kept as aloof and conspicuous as possible.

He reached further into the complex before he even saw another hint of life.

Two scientists. A man and a woman. The woman had a bandage taped to the back of her hand. Helen's handiwork, he knew it well. He'd received many similar back in the old days. Mostly from what she claimed were accidents.

Nikola had to restrain from snickering.

"How are they?" the mans voice broke through Nikola's thoughts.

"Still out, they were tearing each other apart in there," the woman responded.

"Well, we wondered what the affect would be," sighed the man.

"Makes me want to destroy the entire lot," she rubbed her head.

"Parsons said it worked perfectly," sighed the man, putting a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"That's what frightens me," the woman wrapped her arms around him.

"Wonder what happened to the two escapees, they must've been affected at least partially," the man pondered, still holding the woman.

"Well they're alive, that much is obvious," sighed the woman.

"Wait," the man pulled away and began to pick up the phone.

Nikola stepped out of the shadows and extended his claws.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he threatened.

The man spun on his heel and ran to the woman protectively.

"Who are you?" he cried.

"Call me escapee number one," Nikola smirked.

"The gas did this to you?" the woman gasped.

"Uh, no, pre-existing condition," Nikola remarked snidely. "Tell me what this gas is for."

"It's experimental," started the man.

"We don't know what it's true effects are it's testing has been limited," the woman interjected. "As for its intended purpose...Dr. Parsons has kept that under lock and key."

"Who do you work for?" Nikola asked curtly.

"Dr. Parsons," the man answered back just as sharply.

"And who does he work for?" Nikola snipped back, keeping his calm.

The silence was response enough.

"So you're all in the dark, are you? He's recruited you just like he tried to recruit me," Nikola smirked slightly.

"I'm a biologist, he's a chemist, we're both leads in our fields respectively," said the woman. "He showed up at our homes, offered us an unexplored world of discovery and science, and very little choice to refuse. He gives us small parts of the puzzle, I don't think anybody here truly knows his endgame. We're all just cogs in the machine. We don't even know if Parsons is the mastermind behind it all or just another pawn like the rest of us. We don't even know how huge the machine really is or how far it infiltrates the government or economy, or even which government, we just follow orders and hope we don't get shot. I always assumed we were working on defenses against the Russians, but in all this time I've never heard one Russian phrase, or seen one Russian name pass by my desk."

"And this gas is..." Nikola coaxed her further.

"As he said, an experiment, barely field tested, I mean what you did...how you did...during your escape is the closest we've gotten to actually seeing results. And they were terrifying."

"How so?" asked Nikola.

"The results were so varied, from psychotic to delusional, they all lost touch with reality in some way. Some men became brutal, violently brutal, other men became wild or overpowered with feelings or sexual desires..."

Nikola coughed slightly.

"Our isolation quarters were a madhouse before they all lost consciousness...were you and that woman affected?"

"Only slightly...I mean we lost it but only for about a day, less than that, half a day at most maybe," shrugged Nikola.

"You mustn't have been exposed to it very long then. The effect and the length the effect takes seems to vary depending on exposure," the woman nodded.

"What was its intended purpose?" Nikola read the woman's face carefully, looking for any hint of deception.

"We don't know," the woman shook her head. "It's not our business to know."

Nikola nodded.

"You're help is much appreciated," Nikola quickly moved to knock both her and the man out before they could make a move.

He sighed and cracked a knuckle absently.

That had answered a few of his questions.

_**~~~~Elsewhere~~~~**_

Helen wasn't sleeping but her eyes were closed and her breathing calm.

She heard a knock at the door and Wilson was pulled out in a flurry of whispers and a quiet shutting of the door.

That had been ten minutes ago and she still hadn't moved.

Only the strange sound of a window being lifted open and someone crawling through caused her to finally crack an eye open.

"Who's there?" she whispered.

"Honey, I'm home," came her response.

Helen sighed and sat up and saw Nikola closing the window behind him.

"Lovely to know that while I was out doing all the work you were having a nap," he muttered brushing himself off.

"Shh," she shushed him.

"Obviously Dr. Parsons fell for your ruse again," he grinned at her as he adjusted his cuff links.

"Well, the bruise helped," she gave him a sardonic look.

"Oh yes, that..."

"Would've been nice to know about this pleasant surprise beforehand, luckily I managed to twist it to my advantage," she grumbled at him. "What did you do, try to dry hump me to death?"

Nikola chuckled awkwardly.

"Apparently so," he said sheepishly. "At least the door broke before you did."

Helen rolled her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she growled and smacked the back of his head.

"Because...I was afraid you'd hit me," he whined.

"Well you were right," she smacked him again.

"Ow, that's not fair, I didn't hit you when you told me about your little stabfest in the shower now, did I?"

"You heal!" she smacked him once more.

"But the emotional pain is there," he cringed away from her and she was about to bring her hand back to hit him again, grabbing a fistful of his shirt to hold him in place. His eyes shut in expectation of the no-doubt resounding slap he was going to receive.

Helen stopped hearing footsteps coming up the stairs and a light rapping at the door.

She dragged Nikola quickly with her to the bathroom and shoved him inside.

"Yes?" she called to whoever was at the door.

"It's Neil, may I come in Helena?" Helen cursed under her breath.

"I'm indecent," she replied.

"This is important," he stated firmly.

"A-alright, come in," she quickly shoved Nikola into the shower and gestured for him not to make a sound, he nodded his head.

"Helena?" Neil called.

"I'm in the bathroom," she called back.

"Oh, can you come out please?" he sounded calm but nevertheless Nikola shook his head.

"Uh, alright, just give me a second," Helen went over to Nikola and they began gesturing back and forth, devising a plan in complete silence.

After a moment they came to an agreement despite Nikola's grumbling and Helen pushed the handle down on the toilet to flush it and turned the faucet on the sink to run her hands under it quickly.

Then she stepped out to meet Neil. She barely took two steps out before he grabbed her roughly. It took all Nikola's strength not to launch out of the tub and rescue her.

"Where is he?" barked Neil. "Your husband, where is he?"

"I don't know, you're hurting me Neil," Helen cried innocently.

"Mere hours after your arrival the lab is broken into and my equipment stolen. Are you working with him again? Do not lie to me Helena!"

"I told you the truth!" she cried.

"Where is your husband?"

"I'm doing what I'm told!"

"What?" Neil released her.

She scrambled to the bed and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Basil thinks that I'm here creating another ruse, but every thing I told you was the truth Neil, and I'm hurt that you ever doubted me," she looked down.

"Why didn't you tell me of his plans?" asked Neil, but softer this time.

"Because he didn't tell me. My only instruction was to come here, convince you, then let him back in when the time came, but I won't, and then you'll be able to catch him, and then he'll have no control over my life ever again."

Neil sat down beside her.

"Helena, I'm sorry," he grasped her hand. "I truly am, I just...didn't know if I was being played again."

"It hurt so much the first time, hurting you," Helen grazed his head gently with her fingertips. "I couldn't do it again."

Neil took her hand and kissed it.

"I will make things better...for both of us," he leant in and kissed her gently. Helen played mental tricks on herself to respond accurately.

Nikola peaked his head out of the bathroom and saw them kissing. He grabbed the nearest heavy object and poised it to strike Neil over the head. Helen's eyes cracked open and she waved her hands wildly and gestured for him to go back to the bathroom.

Neil pulled away noticing the weird things she was doing with her hands.

"Helen, what are you-" Helen grabbed his shoulders and flung him on to his back, swinging a leg over to straddle him.

Nikola ducked back into the bathroom.

"Fiddling," Helen said to Neil. "My hands fiddle when I'm nervous."

Neil smiled up at her and cupped her cheek.

"You have nothing to be nervous about," he said comfortingly.

"It's just...I've never been with another man...I don't really know what to expect," she laid her head down on his chest and he hugged her.

It was nice to know that even a sociopath like him could care for someone.

Suddenly she felt a suspicious hand curl around her thigh and slowly slide upwards.

"I'll be gentle," Neil said lustfully.

Helen backed off of him quickly.

"Oh no, I couldn't, not like this," she stood up an straightened her skirt.

"Like how?" he sat up.

"In this state, I'm still shaky, Basil is still out there and I haven't even showered, at least let me do that," she headed to the bathroom as quickly as she could without running.

"Helena, it doesn't matter," Neil said warmly, chasing after.

"It does to me, I want it to be...perfect," she pressed her hands to his chest. "You just keep guard as I freshen up."

Neil smirked.

"I could always join you," he said suggestively.

"Oh heavens, no!" she spun at the words. "No, you need to keep watch."

Neil chuckled at her and then nodded.

He followed her in and she gave him a weird look.

"You need someone to help you with that blouse," he said honestly and she nodded, not able to come up with a reasonable excuse to turn him away.

"But no peeking," she teased and went over and turned the shower on, praying Nikola could keep his mouth shut from the onslaught of water that was about to befall him.

No sound was heard.

She shifted her hair out of the way as Neil came up an undid the buttons on the back of her blouse. She nodded her thanks and he stepped back, covering his eyes playfully as she slipped out of her skirt and blouse and hopped into the shower.

She was met with a wet and unamused scowl.

She smiled apologetically and shrugged.

"Are you good, Helena?" Asked Neil after a moment.

"Yes, the water's nice," she looked up at Nikola who was none-too-subtly admiring her half naked form.

She glared at him and he smirked and looked away.

"I'll be back in a bit, enjoy," Neil said one last time before leaving.

Nikola opened his mouth to say something and Helen hushed it with her hand, waiting an extra minute or so until she was absolutely sure Neil was gone.

She let out a sigh of relief.

"That was close," she sighed.

"You're telling me," he chuckled.

Helen snickered at him.

"I'm sorry about your clothes," she covered her laugh with her hand.

"No you're not," he glowered at her.

"No, I'm not," she snickered.

"This is the third time in the course of 48 hours that you have forced me into a shower," he grinned. "Do you have some innate desire to see me wet?"

Helen rolled her eyes.

"The first time hardly counts, the second time was to save time and this was too keep you from being caught and myself from having to sleep with Neil to keep up this ruse."

Nikola's hand grabbed her waist, somewhat protectively.

"You know I would've never let you do that," he said with a grin.

"No, you are much too jealous for that," Helen teased and Nikola frowned.

"You know what I mean," he said seriously and Helen nodded.

"I know," she agreed.

Somehow they were both inching closer to each other. Helen could feel his breathe on hers and her hands slid up to his chest and pushed him back slightly.

"Nikola?" she said tentatively.

"Mmm," he replied.

"Too soon," she said quickly.

His eyes opened and he backed away.

"Ah right," he chuckled. "All these showers, I'm getting confused."

Helen turned the water off.

"That's long enough," she stated firmly. She got out first and wrapped herself in a towel before grabbing her clothes off the floor and changing quickly.

Nikola stepped up and she tossed the used towel at him. He sneered at it but used it to dry his head.

Helen opened the door but Nikola shot his arm out to stop her.

Helen gave him a look.

"There is far more danger out there for you than there is for me," she removed his arm from her path.

"Yes, but I'm immortal," he whispered.

"Yes, and wet, stay in here and get out of those wet clothes, I'll see if Wilson can get you a dry set," she opened the door, showing him the empty room.

"You just want to see me naked again," he smirked and Helen scoffed.

"Trust me, Nikola. I've seen enough of you to last me a long time," she patted his arm and exited the bathroom.

Nikola laughed sardonically and shrugged his wet jacket off.

Helen sat on the edge of the bed and combed her hair out with her fingers.

Nikola draped his wet clothes over the shower bar and used the towel to dry his wet skin.

He was sad to admit that he had wanted to kiss her in the shower, and was slightly embarrassed by her rejection of him, but he shook it off, she was right, it was too soon.

20-30 years, give or take, then they can bring it up again.

He stepped out of the bathroom wearing only his briefs, still drying his hair with the towel.

Helen turned around and chuckled.

"Nice, Nikola, leave yourself all exposed for when Neil comes in," she rolled her eyes.

"You told me to take off my clothes, I took off my clothes, what more do you want from me?" He shrugged.

"I was hoping you'd stay in the bathroom," she sighed. "Where no one can see you, at least no one with a gun."

Nikola smirked and sat on the bed.

"Your boyfriend is much too polite not to knock first," he teased.

He roughly rubbed the towel over his head for a minute or so then shook his head, his hair standing on head in a big poof. Helen had to chuckled, it was quite adorable.

She went over to him.

"Your hair...however did you manage to groom yourself all these years," she teased, running her fingers through it to comb down into a more controlled state.

"There is more to it than this," he chuckled, allowing her to groom him. He loved the feel of her nails scraping across his scalp anyways.

There was something about these moments, he couldn't quite place, but he felt strangely content, and somewhat aroused by the simple but touching gesture. The way she looked down at him and hummed a wordless song absently as she fixed his hair to her liking. The way her face screwed up in concentration when she came across a particularly stubborn piece if hair.

God...he still wanted her. With all the re-emerging memories from their escapade, he didn't feel ashamed, he felt impassioned, like he could just reach out and take her all over again.

He restrained his want to touch her hips, no doubt he would lead them closer to his and now was not the time to go on another escapade...or embarrass himself further, which was truly the more likely outcome.

He grinned though, at the thought.

Helen noticed and frowned.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing," he shook it off. "Carry on."

Helen shrugged and continued fiddling with his hair until she was satisfied and pulled back.

"There, as handsome as ever," she cupped his chin in one hand. "And not a drop of grease used."

She pecked his forehead playfully and stepped away.

He groaned internally. She did that on purpose.

The door to the room suddenly swung open and Wilson entered, looking nervous...or excited.

"Some of the men have gone missing, Helen, this must mean that Frank is..." Wilson looked up and saw half naked Nikola sitting on the bed with Helen standing in front of him. "Here." He said flatly.

"Thank you, I'm aware," Helen glared at him. "Would have the decent to knock you said."

"I meant the other one, I forgot about him," Nikola said defensively.

"Why isn't he wearing any clothes?" asked Wilson.

"Well what if someone was following behind, you are in a rather compromised situation," Helen now was putting her hands on her hip, the pair of them promptly ignoring Wilson who was still stuck on the fact that all Nikola wore was a pair of briefs...and why was he wet?

"Yesterday was a compromising position, this we could've spun into another ruse," Nikola shot back at Helen.

"Oh, how?" Helen scoffed.

"I'd act wounded, your gun is still under your pillow I know it is, what do wounded desperate men do?"

"Use a human shield?"

"Exactly."

"Are you trying to get me killed?"

"Don't be silly, Helen."

"Excuse me!" Wilson tried to break through their banter.

"I don't call death silly Nikola."

"It wouldn't come to that!"

"If you could stop fighting for a moment!" Wilson barked and the two were silenced.

"Now I don't know what is going on here but you guys better figure it out because Neil is beginning to panic down there, and I don't think it's in a good way."

Nikola sighed and stood up.

"I need a clean set of clothes, dry preferably," Nikola directed.

"What for?" asked Wilson.

"Obvious answer," Nikola gestured to his half naked state.

"Oh, right," Wilson looked down.

"And we'll take care of the rest, you just stay out of the way," finished Nikola. "That's your job."

"Ok, where am I going to get the clothes from?" asked Wilson.

"I don't know, be creative," Nikola said snidely and dismissed him.

Wilson gave a look to Helen then back to Nikola.

"Alright," he turned to go back to the door and Helen went up beside him, whispering something gently then pecking his cheek.

A grin spread on his face as he left the room.

"Do you have to be such an old grump, he's trying to help us you know," Helen looked over at Nikola.

"What did you say to him?" asked Nikola.

"None of your business," Helen said defiantly.

"Helen..." Nikola warned. "Don't be coy."

"It was nothing, just some words of encouragement after you deflated him with your brusque behavior," Helen sighed.

"He ruined our moment," Nikola shrugged and Helen scoffed.

"What moment? Me fixing your hair," she laughed. "Be serious, Nikola, you don't trust him."

"Of course I don't," Nikola lowered his voice. "It's instinctive, I don't trust anyone who looks at you that way."

"What way?" Helen turned to him looking genuinely confused.

"Like they're hanging on every word you say," he came up to her slowly. "Men like that would be willing to do anything, and capable of it too, especially if it meant getting closer to you."

"Are you afraid for your safety?" Helen teased.

"I just don't enjoy being shot at," he smirked, still approaching her achingly slow.

"Are you one of those men?" asked Helen, a hint of teasing in her tone but her eyes conveyed her interest in his answer.

"No, because I know the difference between your bark...and your bite," he was suddenly mere inches away from her, hesitantly wondering if he should just go in and kiss her or pull back and chalk it up to another one of their games.

He decided, what the hell, she hadn't pushed him away yet.

His first kiss was soft and brief, just in case, but the taste was like a drop of liquor to an alcoholic, and he kissed again more fervently, but again briefly. She still showed no signs of pushing him away, in fact being the one to initiate the third kiss and it was enough to knock all tentativeness out of his system.

They both knew this was not the first time they had consensually kissed each other like this. It seemed every decade or so they both would get caught up in their teasing, and for some reason, or for the pursuit of companionship, or because they were old friends and sex wasn't going to change that, they would end up in a passionate embrace.

Different from their drugged out excursion because it came from real desire, not a drugged out curiosity to feel and experience. She loved it when Nikola felt the need to remind her of his stake in her life, that other men would never quite have the relationship that they have. Neil and Wilson were lovelorn boy crushes compared to him. He was lover, friend, and foil all in one.

Helen felt her back fall into the mattress and Nikola pinned above her. Her hands, with a mind of their own, were already tracing the lines of muscle on his bare back.

"Nikola," Helen croaked out, loving the way he kissed her throat. "Nikola, we...we can't do this here."

Her hands slid to his arms and squeezed his biceps.

"Now's not the time," she smiled at him, giving him the idea that he might get his chance later.

He grinned and lent down and kissed her one last time, before getting up and offering her a hand.

"I'll take your word on that," he smirked.

"First, let's finish what we came here to do," she straightened out her skirt. "I assume everything's in place."

"Of course," Nikola smirked.

"And Wilson getting you clothes was..."

"All part of my genius plan," Nikola smirked and then grabbed her wrist and pinned it behind her back.

"Nikola what are you doing?" Helen cried as he grabbed his belt from where it was drying and then dragged her to the bed and tied her wrist to the headboard using it.

Helen jerked her wrist but it was secure.

"I'm improvising," Nikola said with a giggle and then his hands began searching down her curves. "Where is it?"

"Nikola!" Helen admonished.

"Please Helen, I'm doing this for a reason," he sighed. "Now where do you keep it?"

"Keep what?" Helen cried.

"The knife I always know you have tucked somewhere in case of emergency," Nikola squeezed a breast teasingly. "Not there."

Helen was this close to slapping him.

"Helen, this would go by much quicker for you if you just told me where it is," he grinned at her mischievously.

"Untie me," she stated.

"Can't do that," he shook his head.

"I can't reach it with one hand," Helen said.

"I'll get it," he lifted up his hands and wiggled his fingers in a teasing manner.

"You can't," Helen said firmly.

"Why not? Where could it possibly be that I..." Nikola's eyes widened and his mouth gaped open in almost a silent gasp/laugh. "Oh Helen."

Helen rolled her eyes as his eyes darted to her pelvis.

"You sneaky minx," he grinned like a boy with a dirty secret.

"Nikola, untie me," Helen barked.

"Can't, guess I'll have to reach in and find it myself," he smirked, his eyes alight with mischievous wonder.

Helen groaned.

"Fine, but I will kick you if you get any ideas," she sighed and spread her legs apart for him.

Nikola looked like a kid at Christmas.

"I'm so happy right now," Nikola clapped with excitement.

"Just get the knife and then stab yourself with it," she growled.

"With pleasure," he grinned and slowly slid his hand under her skirt, his eyes flitting up to meet hers. "Where is it?" he asked.

"To the left," Helen gasped slightly.

"Did you have this in here the entire time we were..."

"No, I only put it there once you came up with the plan...in case Neil didn't buy my ruse," Helen's hands balled into fists.

"Still I'm impressed," he grinned.

"I'm sure you are," Helen growled then hissed. "Will you stop playing around!"

"Ah ha! Got it!" He shuffle Helen around awkwardly for a moment then pulled the knife out.

"I am so turned on!" Nikola smirked and Helen kicked him. "Ow!"

"Bastard."

"Who's idea was it to stuff the knife in such a compromising place?"

"Who tied me up and refused to untie me so that I could get it."

"Seriously Helen? Could any man refuse such a tempting offer?" he pulled out a corner of bed sheet and began wiping his hands and the knife with it. "By the way we were going I was going to find it eventually."

"Bastard," Helen grumbled.

"Now, for safety precautions," Nikola unsheathed the knife and stabbed himself I'm the abdomen. "Gah, that stings," he muttered.

"Nikola! What has gotten into you?"

"When Wilson gets back I suspect an entourage to follow, when they get here they'll see you tied up and me wounded.

He kept the knife in and allowed it to bleed over onto his briefs and down his leg. When the come in, I'll use the gun you strategically hid under the pillow, this luring you to safety and them to my trap. He ripped another piece of sheet and ran into the bathroom.

He came out with a bottle of alcohol and soaked the cloth in it.

He pulled the knife out and grabbed Helen's hand.

"This is going to hurt," he bit his lip.

He through the cloth into her hand and pressed it into his wound. His eyes screwed shut and sweat formed on his brow.

Helen looked shocked and appalled at the sight.

Nikola collapsed on the bed beside her.

"Oh, yah, that's going to look good," he chuckled, wiping the knife on the bed sheets.

"Are you bloody insane?" Helen cried.

"Would you like me to put this back in for you?"

"No!"

_**~~~~Author's Notes~~~~**_

Yay new chappies...is anyone alive out there still? Hmm? Sorry i haven't been writing as much as I should be, *prepares to be chastised* but I'm still writing, I've just had a lot on my plate, I plan to finish this one and Troublemakers before I retire...not that I'm sure that won't happen until I run out of ideas...that will never happen. Enjoy, send me lots of lovely reviews, because they make me smile inside :) And I will try my hardest to update quicker :)


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Wilson carried a pile of spare clothes under his arm as discreetly as possible up the stairs while carrying a glass of water to give him the excuse of making Parsons' special person as comfortable as possible as everyone else kept on high alert for the man that, unbeknownst to them, was already amongst them.

They guarded the windows, the doors, two men to each station.

It was overkill and Parsons refused any of his men to go outside and check the perimeter, afraid they would share the same fates as the rest of their missing comrades.

He slipped by relatively unnoticed, pretending to be as focused as possible on his task at hand.

He looked around carefully before knocking on the bedroom door. He heard Helen cough.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"Warnsworth with the glass of water you requested," he said, staying in character.

"Um, come in, just leave it on the night stand," Wilson nodded and opened the door, quickly slipping inside. He nearly dropped the clothes he was holding the moment he shut the door.

Helen was tied to the headboard of the bed, while Nikola, Frank to Wilson, lay on his back on the bed, his stomach and abdomen smeared with blood.

They were both arguing with each other as always.

"Ow!" Nikola muttered.

"This was your bloody idea," Helen rolled her eyes.

"It has to look convincing," he shrugged.

"It would be much easier if you would just free my other hand," she sighed.

"Yah, but then you can run away," Nikola teased with a grin then winced again as she jabbed him hard with the needle.

"What the hell happened?" he came over.

Helen was trying to stitch him up with only one hand, though there looked as if there was nothing at all to stitch.

Nikola looked up and smiled.

"Oh good, you found the clothes," he sat up slightly and took the trousers from Wilson. "Take the shirt and rip a hole in it, roughly around the abdomen then bring it back here," Nikola instructed.

"Is he serious?" Wilson looked to Helen and she nodded.

"Sadly, yes," she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

Helen continued to stitch him, making the stitching look as believable as possible with the cheap first aid kit thread that was in the bathroom.

"It's all part of my carefully thought out plan," Nikola sat up and awkwardly shuffled the pants on.

"You keep saying that but I'm seriously beginning to think you've made all this up on the spot," Helen frowned at him.

"Helen, trust me," he took her hand, "Only the stabbing part was improvised."

Helen yanked her hand out of his and rolled her eyes.

Nikola snickered and she jabbed him unnecessarily hard with the needle before finishing the stitch and biting it off. Her lips just brushed the skin of his abdomen as she did so and Nikola tried not to enjoy the sensation as much as he was.

"Beautiful job, darling, looks like I have been truly and rightly stabbed," he smirked at her and she gave him a look.

"We can always pretend," she sighed.

Wilson returned with the ruined shirt.

"Ah perfect," Nikola took it and bunched it up in his fist and dabbled the trickles of blood on his stomach with it then put it on. "There we go, now we are all ready for phase two."

"Phase two?" Wilson asked.

"Yes, send in the hounds!" Nikola said dramatically, maneuvering behind Helen and undoing her bound wrist thought still keeping it trapped in the loop of the belt, effectively keeping her restrained.

"You want me to bring Parson's up here?" Wilson's eyes grew large.

"It's all part of my plan," Nikola said confidently. "When Helen and I escape, you keep yourself back and low, as we incapacitate all of Parson's goons, then trap him. You get to call your official government buddies to bring the case in."

Wilson nodded.

"I already sent them the message, they'll be there when we need them."

"Excellent work, Warson," Nikola said absently.

"It's Wilson," Wilson said a little dejectedly.

"Right, now go and bring in the cavalry like a good little soldier," Nikola said condescendingly. Wilson left with a curt nod.

He hoisted Helen in front of him and draped an arm protectively around her.

"Don't worry, I won't let them hurt you," his tone shifted to that caring she knew meant he was serious.

"How do you plan for us to escape?" whispered Helen.

"Through the window, I have everything all set," he whispered back, his lips brushing against her ear causing her to shiver.

His hand reached back and grabbed the pistol underneath the pillow.

"Oh, Helen, my love, I knew I could count on you," he grinned coyly at her as he pointed the gun towards to door.

Helen was practically sitting in his lap at this point.

His hand grasped her shoulder gently and massaged the muscle lightly, out of nervous habit.

Helen subconsciously leaned closer to him.

She kept her gaze fixed on the door, whatever was going to happen was going to bust through any moment now.

Nikola kissed her should gently, as a sign of comfort.

"Any moment now," he whispered.

Helen looked at him over her shoulder.

"Why do I let you drag me into these things?" she sighed.

"Because, Helen, you just can't resist," he leaned over and kissed her roughly, pulling back just as Helen was beginning to respond. The door swung open and he lunged them to his feet, gun pointed at the intruders.

Neil was at the front of the line, Wilson behind him, and five or more other goons behind them.

"Helena!" Neil reached to pull out his gun.

"I'm sorry Neil, he made me, I swear he did!" Helen cried.

"I know," Neil glared at Nikola and he tugged Helen closer to him.

"She's mine, back off," Nikola tried to effect his fake injury.

"Not any more," Neil said even more determined.

"Never. She has tried to leave me but she can't, she will always come back to me. We're constants," Helen looked over at him. There were some truths to his words, but she shook them off by literally trying to shake him off. The leather of his belt around her wrists cut into her skin and she could feel the hard planes of his bare chest against her back as he maneuvered them towards the window.

Her mind caught up with her.

"Help me, Neil! Please!" she cried.

With one hand Nikola pushed the window open.

"Leave her alone. This is between you and me," Neil said sternly.

"I'm only taking back what is mine," he growled.

"You bastard!" Neil barked.

"Oh really? And how many people have you murdered to get what you want?" Nikola smirked and pushed Helen through the window.

"Neil!" cried Helen.

Nikola crawled out the window after her, closing it just as a shot was fired in his direction.

Nikola looked at Helen.

"That went well," he smirked. "Nothing like a bit of melodrama to make your get away," Nikola picked up his pile of dry and neatly folded clothes.

Helen gaped at him.

"You sent Wilson to get you fresh clothes while your other ones were all neat and dry over here?" she said incredulously.

"I didn't want to ruin my shirt," he shrugged and tugged the one he was wearing off.

"You are unbelievable," she rolled her eyes as he changed quickly.

Soon he was looking as dapper as ever and walking along the roof to a rope ladder he had placed in the gutter before coming.

"Quickly now Helen, before they catch on to us," he threw the rope ladder down and began climbing down it's rungs.

Helen sighed.

"You really did have a plan," she smirked.

"I always do," he grinned up at her cockily. "It may seem wild and convoluted but it all ties together in the end."

He helped her hop off the last rung of the ladder and gently lowered her to the ground.

He took her hand that still had the belt around it and freed it from the constraint.

"There we are," he chuckled. "Ready for phase two."

"And what exactly is phase two?" asked Helen.

"It involves getting out of plain sight where we can easily be caught...follow me," he grabbed her hand and dragged her into the alleyway.

_**~~~~Elsewhere~~~~**_

Neil fumed and paced in the middle of the sitting room.

Wilson stood nervously and watched as the man turned beet red, his knuckles turned frighteningly white and and his teeth gritted against each other.

"How could we let this happen?" He barked.

"He disabled all of our guys on the perimeter," offered Wilson.

"Why did she not scream?" Neil continue to pace.

"He had a gun pointed at her, probably threatened to hurt you or anyone else if she made a sound," Wilson suggested again.

"How did you find out?" asked Neil.

"Well, I brought her a glass of water, like she'd asked, and something felt off, in her voice, she said don't come in, like she was subtly hinting that there was something wrong. That's why I told you," he said as earnestly as possible.

"And that's when we found her with him," he growled. "I told her I'd protect her and I let him slip in so blindly...I should've stayed with her as soon as those men disappeared."

Wilson didn't say anything.

"And now he has her...I want you to get him, all of you!"

"And what if we manage to hurt Helena in the process?" asked Wilson finally.

"Then so be it."

~~~~Author's Notes~~~~

Short and sweet with a little bit of adventure!I hope you enjoy :)


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